Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘minor league’

Was just checking on Minor League transactions via Baseball America. Here’s some WizCaps notes I thought I would mention:

• The Yankees have added former Wizards and veteran MLB catcher, Chad Moeller to their 40-man roster.
• For the Padres, Second baseman Josh Barfield and lefty pitcher Cory Luebke are off the disabled list. Drew Miller has retired.
• The Mariners have reinstated pitcher, David Pauley from the inactive list.

The new scoreboard is live and in living color at Parkview Field.

The video board is the second-largest in Minor League Baseball, measuring 26.25 feet high by 53.54 feet wide. It tips the scales at nearly 21 tons.

I saw it today. It’s a thing of beauty. Be sure to read the TinCaps’ release to find out more. Also, check out the Watson Files for your chance to win a Parkveiw Field tour.

Update 02/21/09 @ 5:47PM – Here are a couple other links related to the newest Parkeview Field addition:

• TinCaps to test latest technology  (News Sentinel)
• Latest Square Views (WhatsGoingDownTown)
• Video of the ScoreBoard/VideoBoard (by Chad Gramling)

Sometime over the next few days, I will begin profiling former Wizards that I think have a chance to appear in Major League uniforms this year. I think the 2009 season has a solid chance of topping the record fourteen that got their first tastes last year. Some will win jobs right out of Spring (such as David Freese), some will get called up to spot start or replace an injured player and some will be among the September call-ups for their respective teams.

But before I begin my thoughts, I want to hear from you.

What former Wizards do you think will make their Major League Debut’s in 2009? Comment on this post.

As the also recently renamed Winston-Salem Dash work toward their ballpark construction, the Winston-Salem Journal explored it in comparison to other similar projects currently under way. Fort Wayne TinCaps Vice President – Marketing & Promotions, Michael Limmer is quoted in discussing the business plan, which includes improvements for reaching out to more patrons and families who might not normally come to a baseball game.

“You want to give people as many reasons to come as possible,” Limmer said. “It can’t just be seats and a field…. You want it to be a destination regardless of whether there’s a game going on or not.”

…

Limmer said that families come to minor-league games in part because they like baseball, but also in part because the stadiums are fun for children, some with moon bounces, hot dogs, slides and mascots. A better stadium brings bigger crowds, he said.

“These towns and cities want something to showcase, something to show off,” he said. “If you’re going to do it, you do it right. So if you just put up a community field, a glorified high-school field, you’re not going to get the sponsorships or the people.”

Judging by the comments on the article, that project (and team name) is just as contentious as the Fort Wayne project.

Former Wizards pitcher, Travis Chick has signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Dogers.

“I’m excited about playing for the Dodgers,” he said in a phone interview. “I have played against Los Angeles teams in both the Southern and Pacific Coast Leagues and have seen that they are well-coached.” He turned down a number of other offers to sign with the Dodgers [MadFriars.com h/t LADugout.com]

Should be a year of opportunity for Chick. For more on the career of the oft-traveled 7-year minor league, check out the Wizards Where R They post I did on Chick last August.

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

And it wasn’t even close! From TinCaps.com

In an industry filled with unique and creative names, the Fort Wayne TinCaps stand out from the rest of the new logos unveiled for the 2009 season. In a MiLB.com online poll that started on October 24th and ran through November 11th, the TinCaps came out on top against the other new logos that have debuted this off-season. The Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Visalia Rawhide and Reno Aces were the TinCaps competition for the last two weeks in this battle of the logos.

With 1,387 votes being cast by Minor League Baseball fans across the country, the TinCaps garnered 793 votes (57% of all votes cast) to route the competition. The final vote totals were as follows:

Vote Totals
Fort Wayne TinCaps   
793  (57%)

Colorado Springs Sky Sox   
223   (16%)

Reno Aces           
216   (16%)

Visalia Rawhide       
155   (11%)

MiLB.com is one of the fastest growing sports websites – a testament to the ever-growing popularity and fan interest in Minor League Baseball. MiLB affiliated teams drew 43,263,740 fans during the 2008 season. Through November 11th of this year MiLB.com has attracted over 44 million unique visitors, an average of over 4 million visitors per month. In 2007 Minor League Baseball’s website had 247 million unique page views. According to MiLB.com, online polls allow only one vote per computer (individual IP address), meaning that each fan could only vote once during the open voting period.

I finally got this posted. Sorry it took so long. Enjoy.

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