Bantz’s big day gets a big boost from home plate umpire

Informed by the video board of Bantz’s baptismal at-bat Saturday, the Safeco Field crowd greeted him with a standing ovation that almost certainly set a baseball record for Longest Applause Given to an Obscure Minor Leaguer.

“It brought chills to my body,” said the catcher, whose longtime fantasy of a big league debut never broached the possibility he would be embraced by a standing ovation.

“I really didn’t know what to do,” Bantz said. “I remember thinking: Do I wait? Do I just let ’em keep going? Do I step in?”

Home plate umpire Laz Diaz took charge.

“Laz looked at me,” Bantz continued, “and he said, ‘You’re not stepping in the box until you give a wave.’ ”

A wave? What was the ump talking about?

Diaz repeated the order, and this time Bantz understood, taking off his batting helmet and extending it to the crowd in a gesture of appreciation.

An ump shows Brandon Bantz the way.

Informed by the video board of Bantz’s baptismal at-bat Saturday, the Safeco Field crowd greeted him with a standing ovation that almost certainly set a baseball record for Longest Applause Given to an Obscure Minor Leaguer.

“It brought chills to my body,” said the catcher, whose longtime fantasy of a big league debut never broached the possibility he would be embraced by a standing ovation.

“I really didn’t know what to do,” Bantz said. “I remember thinking: Do I wait? Do I just let ’em keep going? Do I step in?”

Home plate umpire Laz Diaz took charge.

“Laz looked at me,” Bantz continued, “and he said, ‘You’re not stepping in the box until you give a wave.’ ”

A wave? What was the ump talking about?

Diaz repeated the order, and this time Bantz understood, taking off his batting helmet and extending it to the crowd in a gesture of appreciation.

Las Vegas: The Mets’ Minor Disaster

“They’re undesirable,” said Dave Rosenfield, a longtime Norfolk (Va.) Tides executive. “Nobody wants them.”

Rosenfield was Norfolk’s general manager when it became the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in 1969 (it was named Tidewater then) and was still on the job when the Mets left in late 2006. Only a one-hour flight from New York, Norfolk was perfectly suitable for the Mets. And for decades, the two got along well enough.

But Rosenfield said the relationship soured after Jeff Wilpon became the Mets’ chief operating officer in 2002, after which communication with team officials became “virtually nonexistent.”

Clarion Ledger: State will help build Biloxi baseball stadium

Gov. Phil Bryant, at a Coast press conference with Beau Rivage workers dressed as ballpark vendors and handing out CrackerJacks, today announced the state will kick in $15 million of BP oil disaster money to help build a baseball stadium in Biloxi.

He also announced that an ownership group he’s been working with since last year is about to buy a team to play there, although its name and pro team affiliation would not be announced until later.

Talk recently around Biloxi has centered on the Huntsville Stars, a Milwaukee Brewers affiliate, considering a move.

This would be a huge deal for the Coast, where leaders have pitched getting a pro team and stadium for years. Read more in the C-L and at clarionledger.com.

2013 MiLB #foodfight

Hungry?

Fans are lining up for oversized sandwiches, massive plates of food or batting helmets filled with edible delights. Which of these 16 food items will be the Greatest of the Gut Busters?

Harper’s: Lucas Mann on hope and change in a minor-league-baseball city

There are thousands of young men on minor-league baseball rosters working toward a spot in the majors. Most of them won’t make it. With this in mind, essayist Lucas Mann spent the 2010 season in Clinton, Iowa, watching the city’s Class A team, the LumberKings. In his new book, Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere (Pantheon), Mann writes about becoming intimate with the players, the fans, and the town, and explores the themes of nostalgia, failure, and hope.

The link is a question and answer discussion with Mann about his time in Clinton and about the book. Looks like a good read.

Jake Odorizzi, three Bulls relievers no-hit Pawtucket

Jake just made it look easy. Odorizzi.

Jake Odorizzi and three Durham Bulls relief pitchers combined on an historic Sunday performance.

The four Durham pitchers combined to throw just the second no-hitter in the team’s International League history as the Bulls defeated the Pawtucket Red Sox 2-1 at McCoy Stadium.

Odorizzi (3-0) pitched the first seven innings, before Frank De Los Santos, Taylor Yates and Jeff Beliveau kept Pawtucket hitless over the final two innings despite allowing one run.

In the ninth, Beliveau fired a third strike past Jeremy Hazelbaker to catcher Craig Albernaz to preserve Odorizzi’s stellar start.

A native of nearby Providence, Beliveau was summoned with two out in the bottom of the 9th as Durham’s fourth pitcher. Pitching to Albernaz, a Fall River, Mass. native, he inherited Pawtucket’s Mark Hamilton, who represented the tying run. Beliveau’s final pitch, resulting in his fourth strikeout against as many batters in the series, sealed the Bulls’ first no-hitter since Jason Hamel and Juan Salas combined to beat Columbus, 2-1, on July 16, 2006.

It also marked the first time the PawSox were no-hit in a nine-inning game since Toledo’s Jose Lima blanked them, 3-0, on Aug. 17, 1994. The game nearly ended in a far different outcome immediately before Beliveau entered and picked up his first save of the season.

Ian Stewart takes surprise break from I-Cubs

Anyone who commits to the Cubs should be committed.

Stewart just finished a rehab assignment with the Iowa Cubs for a left quad injury that has plagued him since early in spring training. The maximum time a player can spend in the minors in that situation is 20 days, making last Friday his final day of rehabbing.

But because he was hitting .091 the Cubs decided to keep him there by officially sending him down after his rehab stint was complete. He didn’t need to clear waivers, so Stewart could have just kept playing for Iowa.

“He will be, but he has his time, his 72 hours,” general manager Jed Hoyer said on Monday.

Players who have been optioned to the minors have 72 hours to report, meaning Stewart had until Monday night. He didn’t play over the weekend, apparently taking his time off. Texts to him and a call to his agent went unreturned.

Why would a player trying to get back to the major leagues take three days off when he’s been “off” since the start of the season? It’s an apparent lack of commitment.

This after the Cubs committed a non-guaranteed contract to him at the end of spring training—which meant it was his for keeps—for $2 million.

“We had a lot of discussions with him about it, in the end that was the decision,” Hoyer said cryptically. “He has the right, it’s the given right the players have and that was the decision.”

Free Press: Mud Hens ready to rock Chewbacca jerseys

Your Toledo Mud Hens, the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, will wear Chewbacca-styled uniforms for two games this weekend.

No Wookie mistake here.

Great Moments in Triple-A: Buffalo beats Syracuse 27-9

Was gonna say that ten-run seventh was the problem, but losing 17-9 ain’t exactly great.

Eight RBI for Luis Jimenez. Lots of fun stuff from players who have hung around major league rosters on-and-off.  Minor League Baseball: it’s FAN-tastic.

Other fun stuff in the box score:

Every player in the lineup for both teams had a hit.
*Josh Thole was the only player for Buffalo who did not score.
*Mauro Gomez was the only player for Buffalo without an RBI.
*Moises Sierra was 6-6 with 5 runs scored. He was a home run away from the cycle.
*Ryan Langerhans scored five times, and hit two home runs.
*Remember Micah Owings? He had three hits!
*Only 21 of Buffalo’s 27 runs were earned
*Syracuse’s Patrick McCoy gave up 9 runs (4 earned) in 2/3 of an inning.

Yankees’ minor league affiliate starts brush fire with postgame fireworks display

The Scranton Times Tribune reports that the blaze started after fireworks landed on some dry brush in a field just beyond the stadium, which we probably could have surmised on our own. They did add that the fire was contained to just one acre of land which means local firefighters reacted quickly and did a good job knocking it down.

It sounds as though conditions were conducive to brush fires as typically spring does bring warmer temperatures and drier weather. In fact, local meteorologist Mike Pigott noted that Scranton’s relative humidity was 17 percent, only five percent higher than that of Phoenix, Az.

That didn’t stop the RailRiders from going on with the show on Saturday, though it probably should have. Regardless, it sounds like the whole ordeal will alter their approach to fireworks shows in some way going forward, and may even lead them to cancelling such events.

They put the “fire” in “fireworks”.

Vladimir Guerrero signs with the Long Island Ducks

If it quacks like a duck, and swings at everything like a duck, it must be a Long Island Duck.

Vlad is back. Well, sort of. According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, nine-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero has signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.

Guerrero, 38, hasn’t played in the majors since 2011 when he batted .290/.317/.416 with 13 home runs and a .733 OPS with the Orioles. He signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays last May and hit .358 (19-for-53) with four home runs and a 1.043 OPS in 12 games between High-A Dunedin and Triple-A Las Vegas, but was cut loose after he issued an ultimatum to be called up to the majors or released.

Jeter enjoys day in the minors

The kid had just blown an easy play in center field and he came back to the dugout with his head down. And the first hand that landed on his shoulder, the consoling hand, belonged to Derek Jeter…

Jeter had already hit three times, in fact had led off each inning in the privilege afforded major leaguers who are doing a rehab assignment in the minor leagues, and now it was his turn to hit again.

“Why don’t you go up there and hit first this inning?,” Jeter asked the kid.

“Maybe you’ll hit better with a guy on base,” cracked a sideline kibitzer named Reggie Jackson.

“At least I won’t feel so bad if I make an out,” Jeter replied. He had grounded out in each of his three at-bats so far.

“I think I’ll try to hit the ball on the ground this time,” he said to Jackson, smiling wryly.

Meanwhile, the kid took Jeter up on the offer, and on the first pitch he saw, cracked a home run over the left-field fence.

“You see? You see?” Jeter shouted. “I know what I’m doing.”

Then Derek Jeter stepped into the batter’s box for the fourth time—and grounded out to third.

Thus ended the Yankee captain’s day as a Scranton RailRider on Saturday. He will remain a member of that squad, or in fact, any minor-league squad the Yankees are sending out between now and whenever it is determined Jeter is ready to return to playing shortstop every day for the big club… hanging over his head is the knowledge that the Yankees are planning to start him off on the DL, and hanging over the Yankees’ heads is the knowledge that all season long, they may be carrying a shortstop who can no longer bear the load of playing every day…. Jeter, of course, is still insisting he will play Opening Day, and is clearly not happy about having to spend the rest of his spring playing in minor league games, even if there is less than a week of training camp left…

... he seemed proudest of his decision to let young Jose Toussen bat in front of him, and the results it produced. “I knew he was gonna hit a home run. I could see it in his eyes,” Jeter said. “I’m a pretty good manager, too.”

NY Times: “In Havana, Remembering a Minor League Championship”

No ordinary minor league team, the [Havana] Sugar Kings were the Cincinnati Reds’ International League Class AAA affiliate based in Havana for six and a half seasons in prerevolutionary Cuba. Though the team’s existence was brief, the Sugar Kings drew a strong following in Cuba and became a springboard for Latin American players. [...]

Fulgencio Batista, defeated by Castro’s rebels, fled the country Jan. 1, 1959. Revolutionary fever reached its peak at the Gran Estadio that year at midnight on July 26 - the Castro- and Che Guevara-led movement was celebrated on the July 26 anniversary of the rebels’ first attack - during a game against the Rochester Red Wings. Revelry included fireworks and gunfire, and stray bullets grazed two members of the teams.

The Red Wings’ third-base coach, Frank Verdi, was struck, as was Cardenas, the Sugar Kings’ shortstop. Neither was seriously injured, but the game and the series were canceled.

“It was an itchy time,” said [Cookie] Rojas, who played for the Sugar Kings in 1959 and 1960 and is now a broadcaster for the Miami Marlins. “You never really knew what was going to happen.”

The season, though, continued, and that fall, the Sugar Kings had their greatest success when they claimed the International League crown. They then faced the American Association champion Minneapolis Millers, a team that included Carl Yastrzemski, in what was known as the Little World Series. The seven-game series, played in Cuba because of the cold in Minnesota, was attended by Castro and won by the Sugar Kings in seven games.

Philadelphia Phillies trade pitcher Mike Cisco to Los Angeles Angels for ‘no compensation’

Mr. Amaro? You can have my answer now if you like. My final offer is this: nothing. Not even the effort to fax the paperwork into the league office, which I would appreciate if you did personally.

When it came down to dealing right-hander Mike Cisco, no price seemed fair to Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro. So he literally traded Cisco to the Los Angeles Angels for nothing.

Detroit News: West Michigan Whitecaps’ Ballpark To Offer Bacon-Shell Taco

Worth a special trip?

Those who come to see the West Michigan Whitecaps play will have the opportunity to chow down on a Baco, a taco with a specially made bacon shell.

The Baco was the top vote-getter in the fourth annual Whitecaps food contest, which determines Fifth Third Ballpark’s next culinary delight.

The team narrowed to 10 a list of more than 150 fan-submitted menu ideas and turned the contest over to the fans.

The second-place finisher was The Bad Joke, a corn dog covered in cheese with two strips of duck bacon on a bun.

Previous winners of the food contest include Chicks with Sticks and the Declaration of Indigestion. They’ve since been retired from the menu.

Orioles director of pitching development Rick Peterson’s “string” theory of pitching down in the zone

So that string across home plate on Monday? Aim for it.

“What you’re trying to present to the guys is that these are outcome numbers, but if we follow this process and pound the bottom of the strike zone, [the average is] .193,” Peterson said. “And that’s the major league data. What do you think it is in the minor leagues. I don’t have the numbers, but I would think its .125 or .150.”

Eric Knott: Surviving Professional Baseball in the Steroid Era

At Hardball Talk, Calcaterra said of this B-Pro guest piece by former journeyman pitcher Eric Knott:

We should spill way less ink about who we think “the real Home Run King” is — as if that matters — and think way harder about those frequent minor league suspensions and what they mean to the people who are faced with the choice to take dangerous drugs or wind up out of baseball.

Against that backdrop is this excellent column from Eric Knott. Knott pitched 11 years in the minors and 24 games in the majors. He is the quintessential borderline guy who, if he had an extra couple of miles per hour on his heater, may have stuck.  But he didn’t get those miles per hour, and he didn’t try PEDs in an effort to do so.

Knott gives a fascinating, clear-eyed and detailed rundown of the environment in baseball during the height of the Steroid Era, as well as what factored into his decisions about whether to use.

It’s an absolute must-read. There’s more useful information in this piece than anything that can be found in the Mitchell Report or the latest bombastic anti-PEDs screen from Johnny Sportswriter.

The Unveiling: A History of Xander Bogaerts First Impressions

“You’re thinking about this guy’s been sick, has been sleeping, probably hasn’t swung the bat in about two or three weeks. He shows up, goes out, stretches for, like, two seconds, goes out to shortstop, starts taking groundballs. Right away, you’re like, ‘Holy cow.’ You see his hands work. The fields are horrendous. There’s half-rock, half-sand. Every other ball is flying off on a bad hop. He gets a couple bad hops, but he makes plays, and you could just see the athleticism…

I start filming him because down there, when I’m talking to [former Red Sox international scouting director Craig Shipley], it’s a lot easier if I send video. So I got this video, and when I got back to the hotel, normally with Ship, you would say, ‘This is what I saw.’ It was pretty all business and detailed. But we’ve been buddies for a long time, so I just said, ‘Ship, watch this.’ That’s all I said.

“In about two seconds, my phone starts ringing. He’s like, ‘Holy cow, where did you find this guy?’ “

As impressive as Bogaerts was in his workout at the academy, Webb notes that he’s seen other Red Sox prospects with comparable bat speed at a young age, citing highly touted 2006 signees Oscar Tejeda and Engel Beltre as examples…

“I would say [the separator], honestly, was probably makeup. He has the ability to not get totally obsessed over a bad at-bat. A lot of guys, you see it affect them defensively or in their next at-bat. Bogaerts, not to say he doesn’t take it seriously, but he’ll let it go.

Minor-league team to have Marco Rubio Water Bottle Giveaway Night

As noted orator, Horace DeBussy Jones, once pointed out…“No speech can please for long or live forever…that is spoken by a water drinker”

Florida senator Marco Rubio’s excessive hydration during his response to the State of the Union has become an Internet sensation. Knowing that and knowing how creative minor-league ballclubs get at times with promotions, this shouldn’t be too much a shock: The Fort Myers Miracle are set to have Marco Rubio Water Bottle Giveaway Night this season.

Here’s a portion of the release from the Miracle, the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

  Fans entering Hammond Stadium will receive a water bottle while being encouraged to gather in the shady parts of the ballpark to stay cool when the heat is on and prevent perspiration. The Miracle will help recreate Rubio’s thirst-quenching moment on national television by setting up a booth where fans can put on a sports jacket, stand in front of a set and down some high-quality H2O.

  Those picking up tickets at the will call window should be prepared for unlicked ticket envelopes because our parched Capital Bank ticket office employees will be saving saliva. Fans will need to salvage water wisely with special deals on high-sodium concession items such as chips, popcorn and peanuts.

  In an effort to keep the field saturated, the Hammond Stadium grounds crew will participate in a mid-game rain dance because even the Earth needs a drink on a hot day. Fans can expect to make a big splash with a stadium-wide game of Marco Polo.

For Drew Sutton and His Family, A Happy Return to the Red Sox

the 2011 season represented, in many ways, the most satisfying of Sutton’s big league career, his first opportunity to contribute to a contender.

“Baseball-wise, it was probably the funnest year I’ve ever had,” said Sutton, who had previously shuffled between the Astros, Reds and Indians organizations. “If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that I would have gotten two and a half months with the Red Sox, played as much as I did, I would have taken it. It was a lot of fun when I was there, because we were winning a lot. I really enjoyed being here. The atmosphere in the clubhouse, the atmosphere at Fenway, playing in that kind of arena of sports, it was awesome.”

The baseball experience, however, became overshadowed by tragedy. In July, Sutton’s wife, Staci, delivered the couple’s first child in Boston, a baby girl named Carsyn. But Carsyn was born with heart and lung defects, and died in the hospital the day after she was born.

That nomadic existence came at a time when Staci Sutton was once again pregnant. With doctors ordering her not to travel during the season, Drew Sutton barely saw his wife during the year…

It had a wonderful conclusion, however. On October 8, Staci Sutton gave birth to a son, Ryder. He is now a healthy four-month-old, a source of immense joy to his parents. Both Staci and Ryder are in Fort Myers with Drew Sutton this spring.

Gleeman: Tony Soprano’s daughter is marrying Lenny Dykstra’s son

Google Images suggests this is a better decision than any Lenny has made since about 1993.

Lenny Dykstra’s son, 23-year-old minor leaguer Cutter Dykstra, is engaged to 31-year-old actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano on “The Sopranos.”

Dykstra has played five seasons in the minors without advancing past Single-A and spent last year playing for the Nationals’ low Single-A team.

John Sickels: 2013 Baseball Farm System Rankings

Best Farm System flags fly forever. Just ask the Royals.

1) St. Louis Cardinals (ranked #5 last year): Strengths: Everything. They have pitching, hitting, high upside, and depth. They have a proven track record of player development. Weaknesses: none really. They could use a shortstop with a better bat but so could most teams.

2) Seattle Mariners (#4 last year): Strength: Good balance between hitting and pitching, strength up the middle with Zunino, Miller, Franklin; potential ace arms; good knack for finding underappreciated college hitters. Weaknesses: Persistent problems with Latin American prospects showing poor strike zone judgment and contact issues.

3) Tampa Bay Rays (#7): System was already strong and trade with Royals just adds more. Strength: considerable pitching depth; good mix of players who will be ready now/soon (Myers, Archer, Odorizzi) plus guys at lower levels with high upside. Weaknesses: upper level hitting other than Myers….

30) Detroit Tigers (23): Very thin in all respects. Strengths: Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia could help soon, and there are some potential role players behind them. Bullpen arms. Weaknesses: lack of depth almost everywhere, particularly hitting.

FICTITIOUS FRIDAY IS COMING TO MCU PARK

In light of recent events involving All-American linebacker Manti Te’o, the Brooklyn Cyclones have announced that June 21st will be Fictitious Friday at MCU Park…

Anyone who purchases one ticket at regular price will be allowed to bring their make believe significant-other to the ballpark free of charge. Fans will also have the chance to draw a picture of their girlfriend, because obviously something came up and she couldn’t make it, so that their friends can finally see what she looks like. As a special treat, MCU Park will host a unique petting zoo for those in attendance, featuring a unicorn, a mermaid, and a Minotaur. The Cyclones are also in discussions with the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot to throw out a ceremonial first pitch that evening. In keeping with the tradition of Coney Island amusements, the Cyclones will put a spin on a traditional carnival game, as fans that are able to toss a ping-pong ball into a fish bowl will receive a catfish. Lastly, all of the player headshots used on the video board will just be random people whose photos we find on the Internet.

Sickels: St. Louis Cardinals Top 20 Prospects for 2013

1) Oscar Taveras, OF, Grade A: One of the easiest grades in the book. Outstanding hitter for power and average, and he improved his baserunning and defense. Next great Cardinals star? Seems like it to me.

2) Shelby Miller, RHP, Grade A: Terrific second half of the season saved his A rating from last year. Still looks like a rotation anchor to me, just needs to stay healthy.

Overall, this is an amazing system, a prospect factory. They find guys at big colleges, they find guys at small colleges, they find guys in junior college, they find and develop high school guys, they find and develop Latin American guys. They do everything.

This is the most effusive praise I’ve ever seen Sickels give a system.

Beasley: Bryce Harper “can handle” starting season with Nationals

Beasley: Bryceslist: Killer job.

New Triple-A Syracuse manager Tony Beasley believes Harper could use some more seasoning but has also demonstrated hints of the complete package
.
“I would hate to see him come all the way through the system quickly, skip levels and then get the major league level and really skid,” Beasley said. “The thing he has that is special, and I have talked to him about it, is his mindset - the way he believes and the level of confidence he has and his ability to play the game of baseball. I don’t think you want to shake that, especially at this age. I don’t think you want to take the chance of shaking that.”

...But all you can go on is what you have seen and Beasley believes in what Harper has produced in one season. He believes it is a very positive sign for what lies ahead for the Nationals and their top prospect.

“I think so far he has done outstanding. That is the tough call for general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Johnson (to make). All we can do as a minor league field staff is to prepare him as best we can for on and off field situations. I think so far he is way, way ahead of his years and he gets it. I think (Harper) really understands it,” Beasley said.

So, is Harper ready?

“If he gets the call out of spring training this year,” Beasley said, “I have a feeling that he can handle it.”