Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘TinCaps’

The San Diego Padres have made some moves that include three former Fort Wayne players. The first TinCap to hit the Majors, Mat Latos has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Latos has a strained muscle on his left side, and the move was retroactive to July 9. He’s expected back  for his July 24th start in Pittsburgh. Let’s hope he has a short stint on the DL. His outstanding season has him currently at 10-4 with a 2.45 ERA.

The Padres recalled right-hander Ernesto Frieri and outfielder Luis Durango from Triple-A Portland. Frieri made his MLB debut  last season. On the year, with Triple-A Portland, he is 3-1 with 17 saves and a 1.43 ERA. Durango also debuted late last season and has appeared in six big league games this year, going 5 for 13 with a .385 with two RBI and three runs scored.

Thought I would take a little time and update where many of the former Wizards and TinCaps are playing currently:

Let’s start with the easiest – that being the Padres. On their active roster, are former WizCaps, Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc, Nick Hundley, Chase Headley, Lance Zawadzki, Kyle Blanks and Will Veneble. Others who are on their 40-man roster (but not active roster) are; Ernesto Frieri, Seve Garrison, Cesar Ramos, Matt Antonelli, and Luis Durango.

After having been released by the Padres during spring, Chad Huffman was quickly picked up by the Yankees. Padres front-office exec Paul DePodesta expressed regret. Friar Forecast called it “no big deal.” In 14 games with the Triple-A Scranton Wiles-Barre Yankees, Huffman is batting .204 with 3 home runs and 5 RBI. He’s struck out 12 time sin 54 at-bats.

Leo Rosales is still in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ organization and has seen big league action this year. However, he has landed on the DL due to a stress fracture in his right foot. Oddly, he first felt discomfort when he got fellow Fort Wayne alumnus Kyle Blanks (Padres) to ground into a double play

Luke Carlin is nearby in Indianapolis with the the Pittsburgh Pirate’s Triple-A Affiliate, the Indy Indians. The catcher is putting up some pretty solid offensive numbers in 13 games so far on the young season.

Another former ‘zards catcher, Jose Lobaton, is now in the Tampa Bay organization. He served as the backup for two days while Dioner Navarro served a two-game suspension last week. He’s since been optioned back to Triple-A. Also on the Durham Bulls’ roster are former Wizards Dale Thayer and J.J. Furmaniak.

Eddie Bonine is putting logging some big leage innings with Detroit. Perhaps the return of his knuckleball is the magic formula this time around.

“He’s a very useable big league pitcher,” Leyland said of the 28-year-old. “Will he knock your lights out? No. But he’s been a winner wherever he’s been.”

The Camden Riversharks seems to be the preferred indy team for former Wizards. Their current roster includes pitchers Travis Chick and Jon Ellis as well as infielders Brett Bonvechio and Brian Burgamy.

Everyone’s favorite wipping boy, Matt Bush is trying to not only save his career but redeem his life with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the season, he’s seen one game with the class A+ Charlotte Stone Crabs.

Dirk Hayhurst remains with Toronto – but he’s also gained a lot of attention for his New York Times Bestseller, The Bullpen Gospels. He’s also got his own site/blog. Unfortunately, he is likely to miss most of the season following shoulder surgery in February.

Freddy Guzman is in the Phillies organization. He’s currently assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Jared Wells is currently with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks of the Houston Astros organization.

Wilton Lopez is with the Houston Astros organization, currently playing at Triple-A Round Rock, but he has seen big league action on the season already and he remains on the 40-man roster. Another former Wizard, Yordany Ramirez is also on the 40-man roster, but has yet to see big league action at any point in his career. He too is at Triple-A and is hitting .265 with a home run and 6 RBI over 16 games.

A cool - okay, COLD - Opening Night at Parkview Field

Yes, a very cold Opening Night for the TinCaps at Parkview Field as they welcomed the Bowling Green HotRods to the MidWest League. A rather rude welcome at the hands of a 7-2 beating I might add. I snapped this pano pic from the outfield just before heading out. I’ll try to get a gallery posted as soon as possible.

A common trait of teams in the MidWest League is that the team rosters are pretty young since those squads are usually filled with first year players or players entering their first full year. This year’s Fort Wayne TinCaps roster is certainly no exception.

Five 19-year-olds tackle the Midwest League to open 2010 while slugging 1B Nate Freiman and RHP Dexter Carter provide experienced leadership as former college standouts.

Manager Jose Flores makes his full-season managerial debut in 2010. He managed eleven players on the TinCaps’ opening-day roster during his two-year tenure in the Arizona Rookie League. Pitching coach Bronswell Patrick comes to Fort Wayne after an assignment with short-season Eugene last year.

There are 25 players on the TinCaps roster

• Nine have played in Fort Wayne previously: Dexter Carter, Nic Greenwood, John Hussey, Rob Musgrave, Stiven Osuna, Michael Watt, Griffin Benedict, Dean Anna and Juedy Valdez.
• Five are among the San Diego Padres’ top 30 prospects according to Baseball America: Everett Williams (8), Edinson Rincon (9), Rymer Liriano (14), Jerry Sullivan (19) and Dexter Carter (28).
• Five countries are represented: United States, Dominican Republic, Australia, Venezuela and Mexico. Olabisi was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a member of the royal family of the Urhobo tribe. He and his family moved to Saudi Arabia when he was five years old and he played in the 2000 Little League World Series for Saudi Arabia. He has played summer baseball in Canada and now lives in Texas.
• Six were selected in the tenth round or earlier: RHP Miles Mikolas (7th 2009), Sullivan (3rd 2009), Watt (2nd 2007), Jason Hagerty (5th 2009), Nate Freiman (8th 2009) and Williams (2nd 2009).

Random notes and signings involving Fort Wayne players and other local ties:

Former Wizard, David Pauley has signed a minor league deal with the Mariners. The 26-year-old spent 2009 in the Orioles system, posting a 4.37 ERA in 152.1 Triple-A innings. (h/t MLBTradeRumors)

The Padres have invited a slew of former WizCaps to spring training, including; Simon Castro, Ernesto Freiri, Mat Latos, Jackson Quezada, Wynn Pelzer, Wade LeBlanc, Steve Garrison, Cory Luebke, Mitch Canham, James Darnell, Lance Zawadzki, Matt Antonelli, Kyle Blanks, Luis Durango, Chad Huffman, and Will Venable. I don’t think this is an all inclusive list. You’ll also note that Michael Ekstrom and Greg Burke are on the list. Neither are with San Diego any longer. Ekstrom was snatched by the Rays off waivers and Burke has been placed on unconditional waivers and will likely be claimed or become a free agent.

The honors keep coming for the Fort Wayne TinCaps; recently being named MiLB.com’s Team of the Year. The Midwest League champion won a record 101 games in 2009 and beat out Triple-A Durham, Double-A Akron and Advanced-A San Jose for the overall Team of the Year award.

“Nobody could’ve dreamed for a better opening to Parkview Field in 2009 and our team on the field was a big part of that,” TinCaps President Mike Nutter said. “The guys went out and won more games than anybody in the minors this year. They were talented players but the team chemistry was what put them on another level. We can’t thank the San Diego Padres enough for their support.”

In all, the TinCaps broke sixteen franchise records, including wins in a regular season (94) and wins in a half-season (49) and longest winning streak when they opened the season with 10 straight wins.

Additional honors on the season included infielder, James Darnell and right hander Simon Castro being named Padres’ Minor-League Player and Pitcher of the year while Manager Doug Dascenzo won the Padres’ award for top player development staffer. The TinCaps’ front-office staff also received the Midwest League President’s Trophy.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps’ apple logo has earned honors as national Co-Logo of the Year by BallparkDigest.com. The emblem debuted in October 2008 and has become one of the most popular brands in all of Minor League Baseball.

“We liked the logo when we first announced the name change, and it’s been well-received,” TinCaps president Mike Nutter said. “The apple, the colors and the TinCaps name do a great job of conveying what this organization is all about: affordable fun for the whole family.”

The logo was shares the honor with the swashbuckler logo of the Shreveport-Bossier (La.) Captains of the independent American Association.

In making thier selection, BallParkDigest used several criterion. Among them, the logo should provide an “instant identity for a baseball team” and be “appropriate for a variety of uses” while portraying “the team’s marketing image in a positive, forceful way.” Finally, the logo should “transcend the local market.”

“We saw the appeal of the [TinCaps] brand during a June 2009 visit to Yellowstone National Park, where we saw not one, not two, but three different tourists wearing TinCaps apparel at different places in the park. That told us the logo was working.”

See Also:

• 2009 BPD Logos of the Year: Fort Wayne and Shreveport-Bossier - BallParkDigest
• Sky Design – the Atlanta firm who designed the TinCaps logo
• TinCaps’ Logo Named Best of the Year – TinCaps.com/MiLB.com

Related Baseball in Fort Wayne Posts:

• All About the Fort Wayne TinCaps
• TinCaps Have Top New Logo

The San Diego Padres on Tuesday announced Jose Flores will manage the 2010 Fort Wayne TinCaps. Pitching coach Bronswell Patrick comes to Fort Wayne from Short-A Eugene while Tom Tornincasa returns for his seventh season as hitting coach and athletic trainer Nate Stewart is back after a brief stopover in 2009.

“This entire field staff comes with high praise from the Padres,” TinCaps president Mike Nutter said. “We know Tom has done a great job every year he’s been here, Nate was excellent when he helped us out last year and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Jose and Bronswell. We expect these guys to come in and help the players fulfill their potential.”

Flores, 36, managed the Padres’ Arizona Rookie League club the last two seasons, finishing with a combined record of 61-51. Prior to making his managerial debut, he served as the hitting coach for the Short-A Eugene Emeralds in 2007. Flores was a 34th-round pick in the 1994 draft out of the University of Texas and played professionally as an infielder in the minor leagues for parts of 13 seasons in seven organizations. He played 16 games in the major leagues with the Oakland Athletics (2002) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2004). Flores completed his playing career after the 2006 season. He has managed notable players including RHPs Mat Latos and Brad Brach, C Robert Lara and Arizona Rookie League MVPs Jaff Decker and Cody Decker.

Patrick, 39, will log his third season as a pitching coach in 2010, all with the Padres. He spent the 2008 season as Flores’ pitching coach in the Arizona Rookie League and moved to Short-A Eugene in 2009. Both seasons, Patrick’s pitching staffs issued the fewest walks in the league. He was drafted by Oakland in the 23rd round in 1988 out of Conley High School in Winterville, N.C. Patrick pitched 12 seasons in the minor leagues, including parts of two seasons with the Midwest League’s Madison Muskies. He made it to the major leagues in 1998 with the Brewers and 1999 with the
Giants. Patrick played parts of four seasons in the Mexican League and one in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. In 2003, he went 13-2 to lead the Mexico City Red Devils to their 14th league title. Patrick finished his playing career in 2005.

Tornincasa, 54, returns for his seventh season as Fort Wayne’s hitting coach. His first stint came from 2001-04 and he returned in 2008. This is Tornincasa’s 11th season coaching in the Padres’ organization. He has coached as high as the Double-A level, helping San Antonio to a Texas League title in 2007. Last year under Tornincasa’s tutelage, Fort Wayne’s hitters led the Midwest League by drawing 681 walks (4.9 per game) and scoring 736 runs (5.3 per game). Tornincasa joined the Padres’ organization in 2000 as a coach with the Arizona Rookie League Padres. After spending 2001-04 with Fort Wayne, he made his way to Advanced-A Lake Elsinore for 2005-06. Two of his teams have won championships: the 2007 San Antonio Missions and the 2009 Fort Wayne TinCaps.

Tornincasa played shortstop in college at Stanislaus (CA) State, appearing in the 1978 Division III World Series. He played professionally for two seasons in Mexico and coached at the collegiate level for Cal Baptist in Riverside, CA.

Stewart has served as a trainer in the Padres’ organization for the last four seasons, all with Short-A Eugene. He filled in with Fort Wayne for approximately a month during the 2009 season after Ernesto Vega, Jr. accepted a job outside of baseball. Stewart earned his degree in Kinesiology from Arizona State University in 2002. He spent a year as a high-school health teacher and athletic trainer in Arizona before joining the Padres’ organization.

Doug Dascenzo, the TinCaps’ 2009 manager and the franchise’s winningest manager, moves to Double-A San Antonio. Tom Bradley, the TinCaps’ pitching coach in 2009, moves to Short-A Eugene.

TinCaps 2010 Staff in Short:

Manager Jose Flores
Born: June 28, 1973, in New York, N.Y.
College: University of Texas
Seasons Coaching: 3 (2010 will be his fourth, his third as manager, all with Padres)
2009 Assignment: Manager, Peoria Padres, Arizona Rookie League
Managerial Record:
Year Team Organization Record
2008 AZL Padres (Rookie-level) Padres 33-23
2009 AZL Padres (Rookie-level) Padres 28-28_
Total 2 Seasons 61-51
Playing Background: 34th-round pick by the Phillies in the 1994 draft; 13 pro seasons in seven
organizations (.278-34-442). Played 16 games in the major leagues with the Oakland Athletics
(2002) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2004).
Trivia: Tied for the Texas Longhorns’ team lead in 1994 with 21 stolen bases.

Pitching Coach Bronswell Patrick
Born: September 16, 1970, in Greenville, N.C.
Seasons Coaching: 2 (2010 will be his third, all as pitching coach, all with Padres)
2009 Assignment: Pitching Coach, Eugene Emeralds, Short-A Northwest League
Playing Background: 23rd-round pick in the 1988 draft; 12 pro seasons in five American
organizations. Pitched 38 games in the major leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers (1998) and San
Francisco Giants (1999), combining for a 5-1 record, 5.04 ERA.
Trivia: Played in the Chinese Professional League in 2005 for a team called the Brother Elephants.

Hitting Coach Tom Tornincasa
Born: July 2, 1955
Seasons Coaching: 10 (2010 will be his 11th, all as hitting coach, all with Padres)
2009 Assignment: Hitting Coach, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Class-A Midwest League
Playing Background: Played shortstop at Stanislaus (Calif.) State University, leading the club to
the 1978 NCAA Division-III College World Series. Played two seasons professionally in Mexico.
Trivia: Under Tornincasa’s tutelage, Fort Wayne hitters have led the Midwest League in walks the
last two seasons.

The Fort Wayne TinCaps have announced that a Christmas tree will take centerfield on the Parkview Field concourse during the holidays.

“The TinCaps are always looking for ways that Parkview Field can be more involved in the downtown community,” said TinCaps Vice President, Michael Limmer. “The long tradition of ‘Night of Lights’ and HolidayFest was something that we wanted to be a part of and being able to decorate a tree for the holidays was a perfect fit for the facility.”

On Wednesday night, November 25th – the same night that Santa’s sleigh, the wreath, the Wells Fargo display, and many other holiday-themed decorations are illuminated downtown, the join the decor. “We encourage people to swing by the ballpark that night,” said Limmer. “

Parkview Field will see extended hours  during the holidays on select nights.

“We wanted to give families the chance to come down to the ballpark and see the tree as it was intended at night,” said Limmer.

The ballpark will be open on Wednesday, November 25th until 8:30pm and then each Saturday until Christmas we will be open until 7:00pm. Each Saturday from 5:00pm until 7:00pm, there will be special holiday programming, music, and videoboard displays at the ballpark. Details of each Saturday event are still being finalized but they will be available on the TinCaps website the week proceeding the event.

The Fort Wayne TinCpas have captured thier first MidWest League championship in the franchise’s history. Congrats on an amazing season.