Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Did You Know...

...that the Diamondbacks have two of the top seven picks in next June's draft? I was browsing the Baseball America website, and saw the list of who would be picking where next year.

It looks like the Silver Hawks should continue to see a lot of top talent in the years to come.

If you want to check out the list, go to this link.

LumberKings Announce Coaching Staff

The Clinton LumberKings announced their coaching staff for 2011 yesterday. If you go to the link, you can read where their new manager once played in the Midwest League, as well as some biographical information on all the coaches.

If that doesn't interest you, allow me to just list the staff for you below:

Manager - Eddie Menchaca
Pitching Coach - Rich Dorman
Hitting Coach - Terry Pollreisz

Monday, November 29, 2010

Back At It

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend and got a chance to spend time with family and friends.

To say that I had a great Thanksgiving would be an understatement. I proposed on Wednesday night to an amazing woman, and thankfully, she said yes. I'm a very lucky man and couldn't be happier.

In other baseball-related news since I last posted:

-The Diamondbacks acquired Zach Duke from the Pirates for a player to be named later. The PTBNL will be announced after the Rule 5 Draft takes place on December 9th because rosters are currently frozen. This doesn't necessarily mean that the player is eligible for Rule 5 selection, and according to the link above, indicates that he is a low-level player. I have no inside knowledge at all, but I'm guessing that when we find out who it is, it's going to be someone who played in South Bend within the last year or two.

-Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has more analysis on Duke and the deal on his blog, which you can read here.

-I saw this a few weeks ago, and am just now posting it. Here's a chart of the PDC status for every MLB club and their affiliates from the Baseball America website. It'll let you know when you might see affiliation changes around the MiLB landscape.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone who views my blog a very happy Thanksgiving. Like most of you, I'll be spending the holidays with family and friends, eating too much and watching football.

If any major news happens, I'll try to post on here, but more than likely, you'll get a collection of stories when the typical work week resumes on Monday.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Former Hawks Win AFL Championship

The Scottsdale Scorpions brought home the Arizona Fall League championship over the weekend, with seven former Silver Hawks on the winning squad.

Members of the winning team included:
Marc Krauss
A.J. Pollock
Konrad Schmidt (played only one game due to injury)
Josh Collmenter
Bryan Shaw
Daniel Stange
Bryan Woodall

Congrats to the former Hawks!

40 Man Roster Notes

I got this late on Friday from the Arizona Diamondbacks:

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced today they have claimed right-handed pitcher Juan Jaime off waivers from the Washington Nationals, according to D-backs’ Executive Vice President and General Manager Kevin Towers. The D-backs also announced that they have selected two players, right-handed pitchers Josh Collmenter and Yonata Ortega, to the club’s 40-man roster.

Being on the 40-man roster protects a player from being selected in the upcoming Rule V Draft. Collmenter cemented his spot with a huge showing in the Arizona Fall League, while the Diamondbacks have long been enamored by Yonata Ortega's arm.

After watching Ortega for the last two years, I certainly think this is a good move for Arizona. Yes, he still has some occasional wildness and most fans know that his adventures in the ninth inning would sometimes cause me fits. However, he throws very hard and excelled in a promotion to Visalia later in the season.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Quad Cities Field Staff

They don't have it up on their website yet, but the Quad Cities River Bandits just sent out a press release announcing their 2011 field staff. However, all three coaches are back from last season, so there's not a lot of drama with this one.

Manager: Johnny Rodriguez
Pitching Coach: Tim Leveque
Hitting Coach: Joe Kruzel

Upton, Allen, and Miranda

A good blog post by Nick Piecoro examined yesterday's trade of Scottie Allen for Juan Miranda and also looked into Kevin Towers saying that he would listen to offers on former Silver Hawks outfielder Justin Upton.

Knowing that the Diamondbacks traded away Carlos Gonzalez, who is developing into a tremendous player, would you even consider doing the same thing with Justin Upton? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Honestly, I have no problem with him listening to offers. If I were a GM (and that would be a cold day you know where if I was ever given a GM job), I would never say that a player was untouchable. I know it sounds crazy, but doesn't every player have a price that would make him appealing to be dealt?

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Today's News and Notes

Off the Field News: The Silver Hawks announced today an exciting Saturday lineup featuring appearances from the ZOOperstars!, BirdZerk!, Myron Noodleman, and Jake the Diamond Dog. These national entertainment acts will enhance your experience at the Cove, and you can find more information at www.silverhawks.com. We also have ticket packages designed around these days, so act now.

On the Field News: The Diamondbacks today traded 2010 Silver Hawks pitcher Scottie Allen to the New York Yankees for infielder Juan Miranda. Miranda will play first base for the Diamondbacks to replace Adam LaRoche. I really liked Scottie, and thought he would be a good pitcher for years to come. That being said, the big league team takes precendent, and they desperately needed someone at first base.

Blog Maintenance

Some parts of the blog are going to be down for a few days to undergo some maintenance work. I'll still have posts, but I may not have any photos for you for a couple of days.

Arizona Fall League Update

I can't believe I haven't updated the AFL since October 28th. The Scottsdale Scorpions cruised through the league with a 20-11 record and will be playing for the title on Saturday.

Former Silver Hawks pitcher Josh Collmenter tied for the most strikeouts in the league with 30.

Here are your final regular season stats for the former Silver Hawks:

Hitters
Marc Krauss: .305, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R
Konrad Schmidt: .250, 0 HR, 1 RBI (only one game played due to injury)
A.J. Pollock: DNP .295, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R,

Pitchers
Josh Collmenter: 4-0, 3.04 ERA, 26.2 IP, 9 ER
Bryan Shaw: 0-1, 3.48 ERA, 10.1 IP, 4 ER
Daniel Stange: 2-0, 8.44 ERA, 10.2 IP, 10 ER
Bryan Woodall: 1-0, 5.40 ERA, 6.2 IP, 4 ER

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Trivia Tidbit

I researched the history for the Managers of the Year that were announced today.

I couldn't find any Midwest League connection for Bud Black, but did you know that Ron Gardenhire managed the 1988 Kenosha Twins? He was the skipper and led them to an impressive 81-59 record. They lost in the MWL Finals that year to the Cedar Rapids Reds.

1988 was also the year the South Bend franchise started. Of course, they were known as the South Bend White Sox at the time. However, it's always interesting to find out that Ron Gardenhire once managed from the visiting dugout at Coveleski Stadium.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Well, That Didn't Last Long

Apparently, Rico Brogna is out as Director of Player Development for the Diamondbacks. Mike Bell, who had been the field coordinator, will take over in that role.

No word on why Brogna lasted only a month in this role.

Another Award for Gonzalez

I don't really know how I missed this last week, but former Silver Hawks outfield Carlos Gonzalez won a Silver Slugger Award. This is in addition to the Gold Glove that he also brought home last week.

He'll likely receive votes later this week for NL MVP, and honestly has a legitimate shot at winning it.

Here's a good breakdown of the three main candidates (Pujols, Votto, and Gonzalez -- all of whom played in the Midwest League).

You tell me, who do you vote for? I'm a Reds fan and a complete homer, so my vote goes to Votto. I also think getting your team to the playoffs should count for something. But I'm willing to listen to other arguments.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Spelius Wins Award

MWL President George Spelius won the Warren Giles Award on Friday, as announced by Minor League Baseball. The Giles Award honors outstanding service as a league president. It is the second time he has won the award in his career.

Congratulations to Mr. Spelius, who I've had the honor of interviewing on the radio a few times over my five years in the league.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Vote Now

Alright, we've told you about the proposed renovations, now we want to know what you are most excited about.

Vote on the right side of the page as to which proposed renovation to the Cove is of most interest to you.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Former Hawk Wins Gold Glove

Carlos Gonzalez once patrolled the outfield at Coveleski Stadium. He now is playing gold glove caliber defense with the Colorado Rockies.

Carlos Gonzalez was one of two Rockies to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, as announced today by Rawlings and Major League Baseball.

Congratulations to the former Silver Hawks star.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Fort Wayne Announced Field Staff

The Fort Wayne TinCaps have announced their field staff for 2011. As best I can tell, this is the first Midwest League team that has announced their staff for next year.

Manager - Shawn Wooten
Pitching Coach - Willie Blair
Hitting Coach - Korey DeHaan

All three have played in the majors. Willie Blair once pitched for the Diamondbacks.

Other Stuff I Missed While I Was on Vacation

Just catching up on a few things while I was gone last week...

-The Giants won the World Series in 5 games. I predicted Giants in 6. Close enough for me to brag about how much better I am than you!

-Sparky Anderson passed away. Sparky won his titles with the Reds before I was born, and his time with the Tigers came to an end while I was still in junior high. However, he clearly was a great manager and the first of just two managers (with Tony LaRussa) to win a World Series in both leagues. Remember when we were talking two weeks ago about no-name coaches vs. "famous" coaches. Sparky is the argument for the no-name guys, because when he was hired by the Reds, the newspaper in town ran the headline "Sparky Who?"

-Swoop went trick-or-treating with the Raabe family of South Bend. A good time was had by all.

-Finally, former Silver Hawks infielder Yunesky Sanchez was released by the Diamondbacks. He was 26 years old, but had been hitting the ball decently over the past four seasons. including a .284 mark with Reno in 2010. I'm sure Arizona has their reasons, but this one is a bit of a head-scratcher in that he seems like a guy that would be good to fill out a roster (if not in the majors, then certainly at AAA). Your guess is as good as mine.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Did I Miss Anything While I Was Gone?

I'm back from my vacation (more on that a bit later this week), and apparently I picked a bad week to leave town.

While I was away, the City of South Bend announced that they would be spending some money to help renovate Coveleski Stadium. Among the planned improvements are:

-Field Turf
-State-of-the-Art Video Scoreboard
-Walk-in Team Store
-Renovated Suites and Upper Deck
-New Center Field entrance that opens the Cove up to downtown
-And much, much more.

You can click on the link above to see some artist renderings of the "new" Cove. I'll also spend some time on the blog tomorrow going over a few more details about the project.

I have to catch up on some things now, but I'll probably have one more post later today.