Baseball in Fort Wayne

Archive for March, 2009

It’s getting that time of spring, position battles are being won and lost. Here’s a look at four former Fort Wayne Wizards:

Josh Barfield dedicated himself to regaining a big league roster spot this offseason and into spring. In doing so, he developed skills at new positions, which may have been the deciding factor in giving him a spot on the roster. Barfield will be used as a late-inning pinch-runner, and will start at second base, in the outfield and at third. Until this year, he was exclusively a second baseman.

“I like his versatility, speed and how good he is on the bases,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said of Barfield. “I trust him late in the ballgame to do those things . . . I still feel the bat’s coming. The work he’s done has yet to translate into the games, but I think it will.”

I guess his extra work this spring paid off. Congrats Josh. Hope it’s the first step toward great things!

George Kottaras appears to have also locked up a spot with Boston. His ability to catch Tim Wakefield impressed:

“He’s not been thrown into just a normal backup situation,” said the manager. “Again, nobody has made our team yet. But he’s catching Wake right now, so he’s got that added responsibility. He’s a good receiver. He’s been throwing real well. He’s had a good camp.”

…

He knows Kottaras possesses some power in his bat; in 395 at-bats with Pawtucket last season, Kottaras hit 22 home runs.

In Orioles camp, the out-of-options David Pauley cleared waivers and is being outrighted to AAA Norfolk. Pauley came to Baltimore from Boston in a trade a few months back. He was first expected to contend for place in the rotation, but that was ruled out last week.

Veteran and well-traveled Chad Moeller remains in Baltimore’s camp as he fights for a spot as backup catcher. Yet, even if he wins the gig, it’s liekly to be short-lived:

“I think it’s pretty clear,” said Trembley. “Hammock provides offense. Moeller provides experience calling the game and working with the staff. That’s a decision where we will decide on what’s more important.”

One complication for the Orioles is that their backup catcher is likely a temporary posting. Baltimore expects to promote top prospect Matt Wieters to the parent club at some point before the All-Star break, and once that happens, it will shift initial starter Gregg Zaun into a backup and mentor role.

Not long ago, I assessed former Wizard, David Freese’s chances of starting the 2009 season with the St. Louis Cardinals as being pretty darn good. Then I found out with most eveyroen else that he had a lingering Achilles injury that stemmed from a January auto accident. Then he was sent to minor league camp.

Many speculated that it might mean he would have no chance of breaking camp with the parent club. Fortunately, Spring Training is a long time and a lot can change.

David Freese was recalled from minor league camp and the Carinals are hoping he’ll either win the job or light a spark under Joe Mather, who slumped heavily after they sent Freese down.

“The first thing is to give him a look before you take the next stride and say, ‘Hey, he makes the club or is on the club.’ You give him a look he wasn’t able to get before,” La Russa said.

He’s once again the leading candidate to win the job. Whiteyball thinks Freese will break camp with the parent club. Yesterday, he went 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs batted in duirng St. Louis’ 10-6 loss to Baltimore. In that contest, Freese got the start at first base, which was the first time in his professional career he did so. He’s 6-for-8 in his last two starts.

Freese was originally drafted in the ninth round of the 2006 amateur entry draft by San Diego with the 273rd overall pick. He went right to work, hitting .379 with five home runs and 26 runs batted in over 58 at-bats at Eugene before joining the Wizards 53 games in 2006. During that stint, Freese hit .299 with eight home runs and 43 runs batted in and drawing 21 walks in 204 at-bats. The following season, he produced similar numbers over the full season at High-A Lake Elsinore, and even inched his on base percentage up over .400.

Related BBIFW David Freese Posts:

• Freese for Edmonds: Former Wizards Infielder Traded to Cardinals
• What’s David Freese’s Chances with Cardinals in 2009?

One question that many folks have asked for quite a long while is with regards to the possibility that the TinCaps might do something to help promote the significant baseball history that belongs to Fort Wayne. While trying not to steal any of their thunder, I have quietly told people that I am sure they will and encouraged them to stay tuned.

Today, The TinCaps released details of once such avenue that they’ve deployed:

The rich and dynamic history of baseball in Fort Wayne will be on full display when Parkview Field opens in April. Drawing on more than 100 years of baseball in our region, the TinCaps have teamed with Federated Media to bring the city’s baseball history to life.

“During the planning of Parkview Field we were actively looking for the perfect way to integrate Fort Wayne’s storied baseball past into the ballpark’s design,” said TinCaps Team President, Mike Nutter. “There are so many great stories to tell and we wanted the chance to share those stories with our fans. We approached Federated Media with the idea of making the ballpark’s concourse a tribute to Fort Wayne’s rich baseball tradition and they were on board immediately.” Federated Media will be the presenting sponsor of the concourse.

“We knew that Federated Media wanted to be a part of what was happening at Parkview Field,” said Federated Media General Manager, Mark DePrez. “When the TinCaps began describing their vision for the concourse, it seemed like the perfect fit. Federated Media and our radio stations are focused on serving the community. By helping the TinCaps recognize Fort Wayne’s long tradition of exceptional baseball, we can educate and foster community pride by connecting with Fort Wayne’s baseball past, present and future.” Federated Media owns and operates six radio stations in Fort Wayne, including 92.3 The Fort, 97.3 WMEE, 98.9 The Bear, K105, News Talk 1190 WOWO, and 1380 ESPN Radio. 1380 ESPN Radio is also the radio home of the TinCaps, broadcasting all TinCaps home and road games live throughout the 2009 season.

“Fort Wayne has so many baseball stories to tell,” said Michael Limmer, TinCaps Vice President of Marketing. “We are glad to have a chance to shine a light on the teams and individuals that have played such a large role in baseball in this community.  We are also appreciative of Federated Media and all it has done to help us bring this wonderful history to life and educate the next generation of baseball fans in Fort Wayne.”

The Federated Media Concourse incorporates teams and individuals from Fort Wayne’s past into the section signage in the area around the main seating bowl. There are ten section signs located under the suite level which spotlight ten historic teams and organizations. Each of these signs are accompanied by a plaque describing the significance of each team or organization.  Those highlighted include,

• the Kekiongas, the first professional team to play in Fort Wayne and participants in the first professional baseball game in 1871;
• The Fort Wayne Daisies, Fort Wayne’s iconic representative in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League;
• The Fort Wayne Colored Giants, Fort Wayne’s semi pro team from the 1920s;
• The Fort Wayne Capeharts, who won the World Semi-Professional Championship in Japan in 1950;
• Wildcat Baseball, which has provided opportunities for thousands of area youth over more than four decades.

Beyond the Federated Media Concourse, there will be nine additional displays located along the perimeter of Parkview Field.  Each will showcase a prominent individual that played in Fort Wayne or hails from the Fort Wayne area.

“This process has been quite an education for me,” said Limmer. “When you step back and look at the people we are talking about – people such as Dottie Collins, Ford Frick, Eric Wedge, Dale McMillen – these are some giants in the world of baseball, not just in Fort Wayne but in the entire country.” Other individuals honored include Red Carrington, Jake Peavy, Red Braden, Chick Stahl and Bill Wambganss. “Unfortunately we couldn’t include everyone who deserves to be recognized, there just wasn’t enough space, but we hope that by learning about just a few we will encourage others to find out more about the place Fort Wayne holds in baseball history,” explained Limmer.

Assembling this historical display was no small task—it took dozens of hours on the part of the TinCaps staff and would not have been possible without the assistance of many in the Fort Wayne community.  “I have to thank the Fort Wayne History Center, News Sentinel, Journal Gazette, Northeast Indiana Baseball Museum and Chad Gramling, author of the book ‘Baseball in Fort Wayne,’” said Limmer. “It was through them that we were able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Fort Wayne’s rich tradition and acquire the photographs and other information that will help bring Fort Wayne’s baseball history to life at Parkview Field.”

Tune in to Talkin’ Sports Saturday morning at 9:00 as we’ll be hosting in-studio guests from the Fort Wayne Derby Girls. The Derby Girls take on the Nashville Rollergirls Saturday at 6 P.M. at Memorial Coliseum. Since their first season in 2006, the Derby Girls have given back to the Fort Wayne community by raising thousands of dollars for charitable organizations in and around the Fort Wayne area.

We’ll preview the IHSAA Boys State Basketball Championships taking place at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and also give you scores and highlights from Friday’s games and matches involving local teams.

We’ll  name our PSI/One Eleven Design Athlete of the Week.

Nominations for the PSI/One Eleven Design Athlete of the Week can be submitted to this e-mail address or: wkjg1380@yahoo.com.

Tune in Saturday mornings at 9 for Talkin’ Sports on WKJG-ESPN Radio 1380. Phone lines are always open at 260-447-8500.

Talkin’ Sports is brought to you each week by: INdigital Telecom, Perfection Bakeries/Aunt Millie’s, Wise Insurance, PSI/One Eleven Design and Kraft Foods.

Talkin’ Sports. Local Guests. Local Topics. Local Opinion.

Fort Wayne TinCaps fans can now get a Wrigley Field experience without leaving Fort Wayne, and at a Fort Wayne price. For Opening Weekend, including Friday, April 17, Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, fans can purchase individual “all you can eat” tickets in the Treetops Rooftop area.

The TinCaps will also be having “Treetops Tuesdays” allowing the rooftop, which is primarily a “groups only” area, to be available for individual fans on Tuesday nights all season long.

“We had a lot of people calling, asking how they could get up on the rooftop for a game,” said TinCaps President Mike Nutter. “It became clear that there was a lot interest in this section, so we wanted to find a way to allow those fans, not coming with larger groups, to experience this unique area.”

Individual tickets for Treetops will be $32.00 each. The price includes a rooftop ticket, along with an all-you-can-eat menu consisting of hot dogs, bratwurst, hamburgers, chicken breast, and rib tips. Sides include potato salad, baked beans, fresh fruit along with 3 other side items, unlimited soft drinks, and two desserts including a signature TinCaps apple crisp. Food and beverage service will begin 30 minutes prior to each game’s start time and continue through the end of the seventh inning. All food will be cooked fresh on Treetops own made-to-order grill.

“This will be unlike any other picnic that fans have ever experienced in Fort Wayne,” commented Brad Shank, Director of Groups Sales for the TinCaps. “All food will be cooked fresh on the rooftop and the menu will rotate so that a new entrée will be served every couple of innings. Bring your appetite!”

Among the most distinctive seating locations at Parkview Field or anywhere in baseball, the Treetops rooftop area offers fans a unique view of the action on the field as well as of the crowd below. All food and beverage service is right on the rooftop and available to rooftop ticketholders only, so fans will never need to go far from their seats. Treetops packages will be limited to the first 200 fans per game on a first-come-first-served basis.

The Treetop Rooftop area at Parkview Field is modeled after the rooftop seating areas that overlook historic Wrigley Field in Chicago. While Wrigley Rooftop packages in Chicago are typically $175 to $225 per person for a similar all you can eat package, the TinCaps are able to offer a similar experience at a fraction of the price.

“Our goal was to offer a “Wrigley Rooftop” atmosphere, while keeping it affordable for our fans,” said Shank. “And the views here are even better, you won’t be across the street, you are still right in the ballpark!”

Treetops packages and all TinCaps tickets can be purchased on-line at www.tincaps.com or by calling the TinCaps offices at (260) 482-6400. Those interested in reserving Treetops for a group of 50 or more can do so by calling Brad Shank, Director of Group Sales, at (260) 407-2801.

If you follow this blog, you know that I’ve been following the backup 3B spot with the Chicago Cubs this spring. At one point, we had three former Wizards vying for the spot.

Corey Koskie retired, leaving Luis Rivas and Bobby Scales. I had been pulling for Scales, so I was bummed when I read they had demoted him today. Also today, I was looking over the Cubs’ recent transactions, and saw that Rivas was sent down on March 17th.

I guess the’ll put Aaron Miles in the spot. But they did free up room on the 40-man roster, so one has to speculate a trade is in the works.

The Padres made a round of cuts yesterday. Among those cuts, were former Wizards Josh Geer and Will Venable.

Both of these cuts surprised me. Geer made his Major League debut in 2008 and was 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA in five starts. He was considered a strong contender for the fifth spot in the rotation. Sadly, his 10.43 ERA in five Cactus League starts and opponents’ .328 average against him probably didn’t help his cause. Methinks he’ll be up before the season’s over.

Former Wizard, Cesar Ramos remains in camp to fight for the five spot. He has no major League experience to this point.

The Venable cut surprised me a little more than the Geer one. I’ve written a lot about him previously, so I won’t go into furthe ranalysis this time.

Former Wizards, catcher Jose Lobaton and infielder Matt Antonelli will join Geer and Venable at Triple-A Portland. Former Wizard, Chad Huffman was sent to Minor League camp.

Also, for what it’s worth, Boston sent Paul McAnulty down too. No real surprise there.

“It’s always disappointing, but it’s part of the job,” McAnulty said. “Every guy here has been doing a great job, and I’m the one who’s going out.”

McAnulty finished at .286 with one home run and nine RBI.

Taylor University head baseball coach Kyle Gould has announced the signing of Stryker Salyer for the 2010 season.  Salyer, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a catcher in his senior season at Homestead High School. 

A switch-hitter, Salyer was ranked by Prep Baseball Report as the #83 prospect in the state of Indiana. 
He was the starting catcher for Blackhawk Christian High School in Fort Wayne as a freshman, and helped lead the Braves to the 2006 Indiana State Championship.

Salyer has spent his summers competing for the Indiana Bulls and US Athletic, both elite club programs located in Indianapolis.

With current Taylor catcher and back-to-back All-MCC pick Paul Passiales graduating following the 2009 season, coach Gould looks forward to what Salyer will bring to the catcher position for the Trojans.

“Stryker has shown that he has all the tools necessary to be a very good college catcher,” said Gould.  “He is a good athlete who possesses good speed, a quick release, and quick hands at the plate.  He has played against great competition not only during his high school season, but also during the summers with two of the top summer programs in the State.  I look forward to him joining us for the 2010 season.”

You may have noticed a new page here at Baseball in Fort Wayne. It’s my “Twitter Feed” page that contains a flash widget that provides the last several “tweets” I’ve done. I decided to do this becuase I think it provides a really nice extension to the BBIFW community. Also, I often will post tidbits of Fort Wayne related news that doesn’t make its way into a full post becuase there simply isn’t enough content or time for me to do so.

Also on that page, I’m going to maintain a listing related entities or persons I find on Twitter. So far, I have found the Dayton Dragons (@DaytonDragons), Kane County Cougars (@KCCougars) and the West Michigan WhiteCaps (@Whitecaps). I’ve also found the Portland Beavers (@portlandbeavers), the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. 

Would love to see the reast of the Midwest League teams (and he MWL for that matter) make their way onto Twitter.

• Josh Barfield – Can he make it back? We should see his brother come through Fort Wayne a time or two this summer too.
• Jack Cassel – Can he make it?
• David Freese – Out to prove 2008 was no fluke and that he is ready to make the MLB roster. Will the Achilles injury kill his chances at a starting gig?
• Dale Thayer – He’s made his case. Will start at Triple-A. Is there room for him in the Rays bullpen?
• Luis Cruz – It’s likely he’ll make the Bucs’ roster. Will he start?
• Will Venable – An unexpected breakout? Methinks so.
• Chase Headley – Where’s he gonna play? Will he skyrocket?
• Kyle Blanks – Will he terrorize triple-A? Will he stay in the Friar’s system? Will he play outfield?
• George Kottaras – He has the backup job as Boston’s catcher . . . for now.
• Dirk Hayhurst – From Prospect to Non-Prospect to Major Leaguer to Blue Jays Waiver Wire Claim to Blue Jays release for Matt Bush to Minor League deal. Where does he go from here?
• David Pauley – Can he win a spot with Baltimore after being traded out of Boston?
• Nick Hundley - Enters the season as the Padres starting catcher. Sizzle or fizzle?
• Freddy Guzman - Broken bone in hand killed his shot at an Opening Day roster spot in Seattle. Will it kill his shot for the whole season?
• Michael Cuddyer - The last remaining Twin from the Wizards days as a Minnesota affiliate. Can he return from an injury plagued 2008?
• Eddie Bonine and Jaun Rincon - Will Detroit give Eddie a place in the rotation and can Rincon win a bullpen gig?
• Travis Chick – Is it the last shot for this longshot?
• Jon Link – After a great 2008 in Birmingham, does he stick it out in Triple-A all of 2009 or does he move up to the Majors?
• Leo Rosales and Luke Carlin – Can these former Wizards win spots with the Diamondbacks?
• Ray Chang – He was the talk of the early WBC days. Can he make Pittsburgh fans talk as much? I will probably catch him during an Indy roadtrip if he gets assigned to Triple-A.
• Greg Burke - Heath Bell is the heir to Hoffman as closer in SD. Will Burke be the top set-up man?
• Kyler Burke - First round draft choice did a disappearing act after being traded to the Cubs for Michael Barret and Fort Wayne native, Rob Bowen. Does he still have a shot to fulfill his promise?
• Matt LeCroy – Former Wizards and MLB catcher has entered the managing ranks with the Single-A Washington Nationals affiliate, the Hagerstown Suns. Will be fun to follow his progress up the manager ranks a la Randy Ready.
• Rand Ready – Speaking of Ready, he’s probably on most short lists of managerial candidates for any team who might consider replacing their manager (there’s at least one or two during every season). Will he move up or stay in Portland all season?
• JJ Furmaniak – He’s back in the mainland in Phillies camp after a year in Japan. Where’s he going to ultimately land to start the season and how will he perform once he gets there?
• Matt Bush – The oft-injured, highly touted shortstop turned oft-injured, impressive pitcher makes his return from Tommy John surgery. What are the Blue Jays going to do with him?
• Josh Geer – the fifth spot to join Jake Peavy in the rotation seems to be his to lose. Will his elbow hold up?
• Cubs Backup 3B Battle: Can Bobby Scales or Luis Rivas win the gig?