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.

Playoff Results - Round One, Game One

Well, the first night of Midwest League playoff baseball is in the books, and there were some very interesting games last night. Let's take a look (each score link will take you to the box score of the game)....

Fort Wayne 1, Great Lakes 0
Main Storyline: Everett Williams provided the lone run of the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was one of just three hits for the TinCaps.

Secondary Storyline: Matt Lollis (WP, 1-0) and three other Fort Wayne pitchers combined to shut out the potent Loons offense.

Up Next: Game two is at Great Lakes tonight at 7:05 PM. A couple of lefties go head-to-head with Jose De Paula battling Greg Wilborn.

Lake County 4, West Michigan 2
Main Storyline: Tyler Holt capped a three-run Captains rally in the top of the seventh with a two-run single to lift the Captains from a 2-1 deficit to a 4-2 lead.

Secondary Storyline: The Captains won game one on the road, and return home with two chances to win one game on their home field to advance to the Eastern Division Finals.

Up Next: Game two is at Lake County tonight at 6:30 PM. LHP Vidal Nuno starts for the Captains against RHP Trevor Feeney for West Michigan.

Quad Cities 4, Kane County 0
Main Storyline: Shelby Miller (WP, 1-0) struck out 13 hitters in 7.0 innings, allowing just two hits to lead the River Bandits to the series opening victory.

Secondary Storyline: The River Bandits didn't show signs of missing injured Matt Adams' bat in picking up four runs on 11 hits at Kane County.

Up Next: Game two is at Quad Cities tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Jonathan Joseph starts for the Cougars against River Bandit starter Michael Blazek.

Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 2
Main Storyline: With two outs and the bases empty, the Kernels had two singles and then three straight walks in the top of the 7th to force in two runs and break the 1-1 tie. They held on to win 3-2.

Secondary Storyline: Like two other teams in the league, the Kernels won on the road and have two chances to win the series at home.

Up Next: Game two is at Cedar Rapids tonight at 7:35 PM Eastern Time. LHP Buddy Boshers starts for the Kernels against Clinton's RHP Yoervis Medina.

Stuck in the Elevator

Well, I had an interesting experience earlier today. For the first time in my life, I got stuck in an elevator.

I arrived at Parkview Field, and took the service elevator up to the suite/press box level. I would normally take the stairs, but my experiences at Parkview Field have been that doors are always locked, and this elevator is usually the only way to get upstairs as early as I arrive.

Anyhow, I hit the "2" button and head on up. Everything was running smoothly at first, which is a good thing since I really had to use the restroom. Well, as it turns out, we get to the second floor and the door starts to open. After opening about 3 inches, it just stops, sits there for a minute, and then closes and the elevator does nothing.

After a moment of panic, I hit a different floor button to see if the elevator moves. Nope!

I can hear voices outside, so I bang on the door, but apparently they can't hear me. I ring the bell, but that doesn't attract the attention I was hoping for.

Finally, I ring the emergency call button, and talk to a very nice lady on the other end, telling her that my name is Owen and explaining to her that I was stuck in the elevator. She asks me if I'm stuck in elevator number two, to which I reply that I have no clue since I don't actually work here and don't know what the elevator number is. She says okay and hangs up.

A few minutes later, after starting to sweat and hoping that my bladder will hold out, I hear a voice on the other side of the door saying "Hold on, Owen. We'll get you out." I had never really doubted that I was stuck for good, but it's still reassuring to hear someone say that they'll get me out. It didn't take long at all for him to pry open the door, releasing me to the free world yet again.

All in all, I was actually only in the elevator for about 10 minutes, so it really wasn't that big of a deal. I'm just thrilled to find out that I'm the first person to ever get stuck in a Parkview Field elevator -- at least according to the security people that I spoke with later to unlock the door to the stairs so I didn't have to go back on the elevator.

Personally, I think the TinCaps should offer a ribbon or commemorative plaque of some sort. I'll settle for a free hot dog during the game tonight.

Baseball America Top 10s

Since the last time I linked you to the latest rankings, a few more teams that have affiliates in the Midwest League have been posted over at www.baseballamerica.com. Click on the team names below to see who BA considers the top prospects in each organization (and see some familiar names in the process).

Cardinals (Quad Cities River Bandits)

Padres (Fort Wayne TinCaps)

Dodgers (Great Lakes Loons)

The Diamondbacks are coming up on Wednesday, and I'll of course have a lot more information on that when it happens.

More Cape Cod League Countdown

Allan Dykstra of the 2009 Fort Wayne TinCaps checks in as the #37 player of the decade over at Right Field Fog, a blog about the Cape Cod League.

I posted this in the comments on that site, but Dykstra has a degenerative hip condition that effects him, but no one knows to what extent. He has good power, but a horrible average. It took a huge final month to get his average up to .226 after entering August below the Mendoza Line.

Baseball America, Jarrod Parker, and the Padres

No sooner had I finished the last post about the Padres changes, that I went to www.baseballamerica.com and read this article about the Padres situation and former Silver Hawks pitcher Jarrod Parker.

The first question asks about how far Parker would drop in the prospect rankings with Tommy John surgery scheduled for this week (not very far, according to BA).

The second question addresses the Padres situation, and what Hoyer takes over. Baseball America is not as kind to the Padres farm system as I was in the previous post. While I agree with BA that the major league team stinks, and there's not a ton of talent in the upper levels of the minors, I think they are selling the low level talent short. They admit that they were off when they ranked the Padres farm system 29th of the 30 teams, but they don't seem to give a lot of credit to the young players who had great seasons at the A-level this season.

Click the link above and read it all.

Change with the Padres

So the Padres have a new GM, and thus, they are making a change in their player development director as well.

Jed Hoyer is the new GM, replacing the recently fired Kevin Towers. As soon as Hoyer was announced as GM, Grady Fuson was relieved of his duties as VP of Player Development.

Why should you care?

It's when things like this happen that remind everyone just how little the low levels of the minors ultimately mean to the big league club. We all remember the Fort Wayne TinCaps success this season, right? 102 wins is hard to forget. It was largely Towers and his staff that drafted that great crop of players, and Fuson and his staff that developed that great group of players. And while I'm sure the Padres are happy that they've won at the low-A level in 2009, it's not enough to save the jobs of the top two guys in terms of player personnel.

I don't know whether Towers and Fuson deserved to be fired or not. That's not for me to decide. All I know is that Hoyer is taking over a bad major league team, but has a great crop of prospects -- and that's exactly what every GM in MLB wants.

We'll wait for the fall out and see if the TinCaps staff get to keep their jobs with a new Player Development regime in place.

2009 MWL Champs: Fort Wayne TinCaps

Fort Wayne completed the sweep last night. Here's the story:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 4, Burlington Bees 3

Fort Wayne raced out to a 4-0 lead, thanks largely to a two run homer by Jaff Decker, and then held on for a 4-3 win to complete the sweep and win their first Midwest League crown. Vince Belnome and Robert Lara added the other RBIs for the TinCaps. Juan Graterol homered for the Bees as part of a two hit night.

Mike Watt (WP, 1-0) started for the TinCaps, allowing three runs (one earned) in 5.1 innings. Alexis Lara, Zach Herr, Nick Schumacher, and Brad Brach (SV, 3) combined for 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 2-0
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, Tincaps win 4-3

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I was off by a game obviously.

TinCaps Up 2-0 in MWL Finals

Here is the story from last night's game two:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 2, Burlington Bees 0

Fort Wayne starter Chris Fetter (WP, 1-0) combined with three relievers to shutout Burlington Wednesday night, holding the Bees to only four hits. Fetter went 5.1 scoreless innings, followed by Nick Greewood for 2.0 innings, Alexis Lara for 0.2 innings, and Nick Schumacher (SV, 1) for 1.0 inning.

The TinCaps scored a run in the second on a walk, two singles, and a wild pitch to score the only run they would ultimately need. Allan Dykstra added a solo homer in the sixth.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 2-0
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I'll stick with it.

TinCaps take Game One

Here is the story from last night:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 6, Burlington Bees 2

Burlington had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but couldn't hang on as the bullpen melted down. After Tim Melville started and allowed two runs through 5.0 innings, the Bees bullpen gave up four runs over the final three innings as the TinCaps rallied for the win.

Erik Davis (WP, 1-1) allowed two runs over 6.0 innings to earn the win for the TinCaps while Fort Wayne's bullpen combined for 3.0 scoreless innings. Daniel Robertson had three hits to pace the Fort Wayne's offensive attack.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Wednesday
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I'll stick with it.

Midwest League Finals are Set

Here are the results from last night:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 4, Great Lakes Loons 3 -- (10 innings)
Robert Lara led off the bottom of the 10th with a solo home run to lift the TinCaps into the MWL finals. Great Lakes closer Cole St. Clair gave up a run in the 8th to allow Fort Wayne to tie it, and then allowed the homer in the 10th.

Burlington 2, Cedar Rapids 1
Jason Taylor hit a two run homer in the first inning, and that's all the Bees would need on their way to a victory. Ivor Hodgson allowed only one run in 5.2 innings, with the Burlington bullpen combining for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Tonight
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Wednesday
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

My Prediction
The TinCaps keep catching all the breaks. I'll take Fort Wayne in 4 games.

Baseball America Prospects Chat

Throughout the offseason, I will post links to various websites, stories, etc. that I see regarding prospects from the Diamondbacks, and other MWL teams. My primary source for this stuff will be BaseballAmerica.com. Each week, they do a "prospects chat", which has a lot of good information in it.

This week's chat can be found here.

Or below is the part of the chat that stood out to me. It has to do with the San Diego Padres top prospect for 2010.

Kirby (Lake Elsinore): James Darnell: #1 Padres prospect for 2010? If not, how close is he?

Ben Badler: I'm partial to Jaff (Decker).

I added in the last name for Jaff Decker so you knew who they were talking about. But based on Badler's answer, Jaff Decker of Fort Wayne has a good chance to be #1 in the Padres organization for the 2010 Prospect Handbook. James Darnell, who was the subject of the question, also played with the TinCaps until the All-Star Break, and I'd imagine you'd see him in the top 10, maybe even the top 5.

Click the link above for the full chat. There are some other former MWL players talked about, inlcuding Kyle Russell of the Great Lakes Loons. Not a whole lot of D'Backs chat in this one, but we'll keep you updated throughout the offseason.

Tonight's Lineup - August 10th

Pollock - CF
Navarro - SS
Perez - DH
Parker - 3B
Marte - LF
Gomez - 1B
Davis - C
Asencio - RF
Elmore - 2B

Cook - SP

We'll switch things up a bit during the pregame interview, and talk to Dan Watson (Fort Wayne's broadcaster) as to why the TinCaps have been so good this season and whether the fans truly appreciate the fact that the team is playing better than any other team in Minor League Baseball.

What This Series Means

I've heard from a lot of different people over the past couple of days that are worried about getting swept in the series with Fort Wayne. Quite honestly, I'm one of them. They are a darn good ballclub, and they have swept South Bend three times already this season (and taken 3 out of 4 in the other series).

That being said, whatever happens in this series is not going to make or break the Silver Hawks. Yes, being swept would hurt. Yes, if the Silver Hawks could find a way to sweep Fort Wayne it would be huge. Heck, even going 2-2 against the TinCaps would be a victory at this stage for South Bend. But this division is not going to be decided with four games in early August.

Consider that after this series, South Bend still has 8 with Great Lakes, 7 with Dayton, and 7 with Lansing. Oh, and in case you've forgotten, those are the three teams that are battling with the Hawks for the playoffs spots.

Great Lakes is a solid team that everyone thinks is going to make the playoffs. Good for them if they do, but let's not just give it to them yet. They are full of experienced players who quite honestly have underachieved to some extent...and they still have a lot of games with West Michigan remaining.

Dayton has promoted half their pitching staff in the last two weeks. They are going to have some kinks to work out over the final month. They also can't beat Fort Wayne (1-14 versus the TinCaps).

Lansing struggles mightily against South Bend (amongst others). Every time they win two in a row, they seem to lose the next three in a row.

The Silver Hawks are dealing with injuries (Krauss, Sinclair) and have losing records against every Eastern Division team other than Lansing.

My point is...every team has strengths, every team has flaws, and every team will be playing every other team in the division still.

Let's not write off this series until the games are played, and let's not judge the second half until South Bend has a chance to go head-to-head with the teams they are fighting with for the playoff spots.

Photos from Fort Wayne - Part Five

The press box. Notice the seats right in front of the windows. If a fan in the last row stands up, their head blocks my view of home plate. Good for the fans...bad for the broadcaster. I had a fan standing in front of me for about 5 pitches today, and it was simply awkward. To give you an idea of how close he was to me, if we both reached out our arms, we could have exchanged a hand shake without either one of us straining to reach the other person. Clearly, he was listening to every word I said.


Another slight oddity of the ballpark. I am standing on the field when I took this picture. This is the walkway that both teams and the umpires all use to get onto the field. It's located close to home plate, right next to the home dugout on the first base side. When building the stadium, the TinCaps couldn't build a tunnel on the third base side because of some underground pipes, so both teams have to use the same tunnel to go back to the locker rooms. This could make for some unique situations after particularly fiesty games. Oh, and if you are the visiting team, take the ramp and the door on the right.


The first row seats actually sit down a bit from the field, so you actually look up to the players on the field.


The team store, located directly behind home plate.


Finally, all the trash cans have TinCaps helmets on them. Nice touch.

Photos from Fort Wayne - Part Four

Tables down the left field line. Very similar to the right field picnic area, just different types of tables and seats.


One more look at the video board and the seats in right field.


Kids play area, with a rock climbing wall. The inflatable games weren't blown up at this time as it was well before the gates opened, but you can see them in a heap in the background. Definitely a fun time for the kids.


The field, from left.


The field, from center.

Photos from Fort Wayne - Part Three

A huge concourse beyond the centerfield fence, and a back entrance to the stadium (This is inside the stadium, which explains why the letters are backwards. They are obviously readable as you enter the stadium from the street).


A fountain that is within the ballparks gates in deep, deep, deep centerfield. Notice the huge concourse again. I think you could put up basketball goals and have enough room for a full court in this area beyond centerfield.


Standing on the concourse, shooting straight up at the huge video board.


A look at the lawn sections beyond the outfield wall.


The field, from beyond the right field fence.

Photos from Fort Wayne - Part Two

Beyond the outfield wall in right, taking a picture of the large picnic table area down the right field line. I don't know exactly how many tables there are here, but obviously you could have a large outing in this section with plenty of room for everyone.


From the concourse, aiming at the parking garage that has the gigantic video board on it. The video board is the second largest in all of minor league baseball.


The right field corner. Notice the seats to the right of the video board, which I would imagine would feel like a cross between a bleacher bum and a wrigley rooftop section. I like it. I'd like to watch a game from here once...that is, if I didn't have to broadcast.


The field, from the concourse across from the first base bag.


This is one of the coolest parts of the stadium. I am standing on the concourse taking this picture, in an area that is accessible to every fan with a ticket. The shot is of the indoor batting cages. So if you get there early, you can hang out by the indoor cages, and watch the teams take extra hitting practice or work on some drills, particularly if the weather is bad and outdoor BP has been cancelled. Really cool feature to the park.

Photos from Fort Wayne - Part One

As usual, I walked around the field and took some photos. Here is the latest visit to Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, the home of the TinCaps.


My view from the visitor's radio booth. Simply gorgeous. Yes, the grass is a bit rough around home plate and the pitcher's mound, but a lot of games have been played here in a short period of time (including high school games), so it's been under a lot of stress. Aside from that, it's simply a beautiful ballpark.


The suite looked so nice and new that I was afraid to walk in. So I took this picture from outside the suite door, but it gives you an idea of the basic setup. You can just barely see the couch on the left side of the room.


A large lobby area directy behind home plate. From what I can figure, the fans that sat in the rows directly in front of the press box would have access to this area during the game.


The bar area just behind the lobby pictured above. This looks like it belongs in an upscale restaurant in NYC, not in a stadium in Fort Wayne. And no offense meant to Fort Wayne with that comment...it doesn't seem to belong in any park. It's way too nice.


A buffet line/serving area behind the press box. This isn't for media food, but rather for large groups that would meet/gather in this area.

Greetings from Fort Wayne

First of all, the new ballpark here is amazing. I'll take some pictures and get them posted tomorrow. A little short on time today.

Secondly, here is today's lineup:

Duffy - LF
Navarro - SS
Diaz - CF
Parker - 3B
Perez - DH
Elmore - 2B
Ramirez - 1B
Davis - C
Asencio - RF

Rodriguez - SP (Silver Hawks Debut)

Pregame Interview Guest: Taylor Sinclair