muckdogs

 The Muckdogs (12-11) rallied early to edge out the Lowell Spinners (11-12) 5-3 behind the winning pitcher Jameson Maj (2-1). Maj went five innings, striking out six while giving up four hits and two runs. Lowell’s Yeiper Castillo got the loss in his one inning of work, walking three and allowing four earned runs.

Adam Reifer let up one hit and had one strikeout in the 9^th to get his fifth save. Murphy went 1-for-4 on the night with a double and three RBI.

Nice little tidbit buried at the bottom of the Buffalo News story on Jeff Weaver signing with the Bisons.

The Muckdog's game drew a record crowd: 3,021.

We were there handing out water bottle kozies -- we gave out 1,000 of them prior to the game. They were a big hit with people who arrived before we did coming from the stands to ask for their own once they saw they were available.

We also handed out about 750 at the Ramble yesterday. Again, big hit.

It was fun to meet so many people who already visit The Batavian regularly, and we made several new friends, I think.

But back to the Muckdogs, please be sure to check out Eric Manning's post on the Muckdog's hot prospects. I stumbled about Eric's blog Future Redbirds the other day and asked if he would be willing to fill us in on who the top players are on the Muckdogs.  If you're a St. Louis Cardinals fan (and there seemed to be several of them at the game on Friday), Future Redbirds seems like a must-read web site.

And while we're talking about Muckdogs coverage, the Muckdog's intern Molly Radzinski, a broadcasting major from Albion, has been doing a great job of providing us game recaps. Here's one.

I couldn't stay for the whole game Friday because I promised my wife I wouldn't be gone long, but I need to get back to Dwyer Stadium soon -- it's a great ballpark. There isn't a bad seat in the house, near as I can tell, and the fans are really into the game.

I need to go to a game soon, and so should you.

So you're going to a Muckdogs game, but you're just not sure who you should be paying attention to. I am the main writer and founder of the blog FutureRedbirds.com, and as someone who tracks the farm system very closely but doesn't have the privilege of being in driving distance to Dwyer Stadium, here are the players I'd be watching keenly at each game if I were you:

Hitters

(Photo: Mark6Mauno)

Shane Peterson, OF---Shane Peterson was drafted this year in the 2nd round out of perennial powerhouse Long Beach State University, a team that featured 8 players drafted in the first seven rounds, and has recently helped produce rising hitting stars Troy Tulowitzki and Evan Longoria. Peterson was the first of the many Dirtbag players selected on draft day. The sweet-swinging lefty played first base and pitched in college, and has the speed and arm to hold down a corner outfield spot. Peterson was among the leaders in the Big West Conference in batting average (.390) slugging percentage (.582) and he led the conference in on-base percentage (.506). Being a rather statistically-inclined club as the Cardinals are, they jumped on him on draft day. Not everyone in scouting circles are sold on his hitting ability in spite of his tremendous college stats, as Peterson has an unorthodox hitting approach; he holds his bat up by his ear and uses a two-step swing. He does however generate excellent bat speed and has a high finish, allowing him add loft to the ball. Whatever he is doing is working so far in his first taste of pro ball, as Peterson is currently batting .379, the second highest average in the New York Penn League.

Jon Edwards, OF---Edwards fell to the 14th round of the 2006 draft in part because he was ineligible for the first half of his senior season in high school. The Cardinals went well over slot to sign him, giving him a bonus of $100K. He is a serious physical specimen, standing at 6-5 and 230 lbs. He has as much raw power as any Cardinal hitter in the system, but as with most high school players, he came to the club quite raw and is still a work in progress. In his first minor league season he hit .266/.360/.461 (AVG/OBP/SLG) for rookie league Johnson City and was ranked a Top 10 Appalachian League prospect by Baseball America. He returned to the Appy League in his 2nd pro season, but had trouble making contact, batting only .245. He still showed the ability to take a walk and hit for power, and was moved up to Batavia at the end of the 2007 season. In his short time at Batavia, Edwards went 13-for-33 with 5 extra base hits. That hot streak has carried over so far this season; he's sixth in the NY Penn League batting race (.358) and is leading the league in slugging percentage by a wide margin, with a whopping .736. Edwards profiles as a "Three True Outcomes" hitter; the Three True Outcomes being a homer, walk or a strikeout, a la Adam Dunn. He has a long swing but generates lots of power, but has good pitch recognition for a 20 year old hitter. He has a strong arm in right field, but has below average range.

Other names to know, hitters to watch

3B Jermaine Curtis was the club's 5th round pick in 2008 out of the University of California. He is known for having a fine glove and a keen batting eye, and his 42 walks were the most drawn by any Bruin since Troy Glaus drew 57 in 1997...1B Xavier Scruggs was an uncertain sign as a junior and therefore fell to the 19th round this past June, but was ranked the 197th best draft prospect by Baseball America. For UNLV he hit for the Mountain West Conference triple crown. He’s strong and quick to the ball, and has sound plate discipline, but has struggled mightily thus far...19 year old catcher Luis De La Cruz was ranked the clubs' 30th best prospect by BA headed into the 2008 season, particularly for his all around defensive skills behind the plate. He struggled for the low A River Bandits and was demoted to Batavia...CF Frederick Parejo was signed out of Venezuela as a 16 year old free agent two years ago and is developing fairly rapidly. He was the talk of Extended Spring Training amongst the Cardinal coaches and scouts, and was rewarded with an aggressive promotion. He's considered a pure center fielder.

Pitchers

(Image: sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

RHP Lance Lynn---Lynn was the Cardinals supplemental round pick this past year out of Ole Miss. The Indiana native was originally drafted by the Mariners in the 6th round of the 2005 draft but opted to go to school. That decision paid off handsomely. For the Rebels this past season he posted a 4.52 ERA with 110 strikeouts to 30 walks over 89.2 innings. He has a potential for two plus pitches-a fastball at 92-93 and a sharp curve, and profiles as a middle of the rotation innings eater. He has terrific mechanics and also throws a slider and a change-up, although both are inconsistent offerings at this point. Lefties had no troubles hitting Lynn in the SEC last year, so he'll need to work on getting more consistent with the change.

RHP Scott Gorgen---His twin brother Matt is currently Muckdog rival Hudson Valley's closer and pitched for the U of Cal.; Matt was taken in the 4th round this past June out of UC Irvine, and was the higher regarded of the two. For the Anteaters this past spring, Gorgen was 12-3 with a 2.26 ERA and had 123 strikeouts to 40 walks in 115.2 innings. His fastball is in the 87-90 MPH range, and tops out at 92. His change-up is his bread and butter and he'll throw it often and in any count. It's a "plus-plus" pitch and was considered to be one of the best change-ups in this past draft, if not the best. Gorgen can locate the pitch wherever he wishes and it has late tumbling action, much like a split-finger fastball. The main knock on Gorgen is he's short and stocky at 5-10, 190, and he doesn't have much of a breaking ball.

RHP and Closer Adam Reifer---Reifer was drafted in 2007 in the 11th round out of UC Riverside. He was considered a top two round talent but fell due to injury concerns surrounding his pitching elbow and shoulder. He had a bone spur removed in his elbow and shoulder tendinitis, and the Cardinals have been very cautious with him. Before the injury Reifer was throwing 91-94 with regularity, and has touched up to 96 MPH. He also has a hard, late breaking slider. After witnessing the amount of college closers taken in the first few rounds in this past draft, Reifer could be a huge steal.

Other names to know, pitchers to watch

RHP Jason Buursma was the Cards 25th round pick out of Bucknell U. He was a Brooks Wallace Award finalist, one of college baseball's top honors. A two-way player, he hit .367 with 13 homers as an outfielder as well as posting a 9-3 record with a 2.58 ERA as a pitcher. He throws submarine style...RHPs Arquimedes Nieto and Miguel Tapia were two of the top pitching prospects from the Cardinals Dominican Summer League last season. Nieto is a Panamanian product who had 56 strikeouts to only 13 walks with a 2.73 ERA in 59.1 innings for the DSL Cardinals in 2007. In the exact same amount of innings, the 20 year old Dominican Tapia had 57 K's to 29 walks and 3.34 ERA. Although Nieto has shown better command, the organization considers Tapia to have the higher ceiling of the two.

The Muckdogs (10-8) celebrated more than just Independence Day, posting a 9-2 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades (9-9) to complete the series sweep.  Ramon Delgado (1-0) pitched the first five innings to get the win, letting up four hits and striking out one.   Hudson Valley’s Chris Andujar (0-1) got the loss, going three innings with five earned runs, four walks and three strikeouts. 
 

Batavia once again jumped out to an early lead in the 1^st.  Jose Garcia started off with a walk and Colt Sedbrook followed with a RBI triple.  Shane Peterson then singled before Jon Edwards hit a two-run homerun to jump out to a 4-0 lead.  The Muckdogs’ other big inning came in the 5^th as they scored two runs, the first on a solo homerun by Chris Swauger.  Back-to-back doubles by Xavier Scruggs and Charley Cutler scored the second. 
 

Hudson Valley avoided being shutout in the 9^th when John Mollicone reached on a two-out fielding error by Scruggs.  Kyeong Kang followed with a homerun to score the Renegades’ two runs. 
 

Peterson went 3-for-4 with three singles, two runs and two RBI.  Batavia now goes on the road to play a three-game series in Vermont.

After waiting an hour for a rain delay to start the game, the Batavia Muckdogs (7-6) blanked the Jamestown Jammers (7-4) behind a combined 14-strikeout pitching effort. 

Miguel Tapia (2-1) struck out seven Jammers in five innings and allowed only three hits to get the win.  Johnny Dorn (1-1) suffered the loss giving up six hits and four earned runs through three innings.

Batavia jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the 1^st on a Frederick Parejo double and Shane Peterson RBI single.  But the Muckdogs big inning came in the 3^rd when Jermaine Curtis led off with a single.  Two batters later, Blake Murphy sent his first pitch over the left field wall for a two-run homerun.  Xavier Scruggs followed Murphy’s lead, hitting one over the wall in right.  Batavia’s last run came in the 4^th after Beau Riportella reached second on a throwing error and Parejo drove him in with a single.

The Muckdog’s Scott Gorgen came on in relief to pitch three innings, striking out five and walking two.  Hector Cardenas pitched the 9^th, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Murphy and Scruggs both went 2-for-4 with a homerun and single.  Riportella went 3-for-4 with a double.

 Photo Courtesy: Casey Freeman

I love baseball, so with a certain amount of pride, I walked into Dwyer Stadium today and snapped this photo of The Batavian sign out in right field.

We're proud to be a 2008 sponsor of Batavia's legendary minor league baseball team.

This summer, we're also a sponsor of the BID's summer concert series.

We're looking at a couple of other sponsorship opportunities over the next couple of months.  If your group or organization is putting on an event and need local business sponsors, let us know, because we'll certainly consider it (we can't sponsor everything of course, but we have some money left in the budget for a couple of more sponsorships this summer).

We're a little behind in our Daily News reading (with Philip on vacation).  From the Saturday/Sunday edition, however, there were some items of note.

• Becky Wolford won a contest to sing the National Anthem prior to a Muckdogs game.  She's also survived a brain tumor.  The story by Joanne Beck details her diagnosis and  efforts to fight the disease, which included much prayer and multiple surgeries. It's a fine news feature, but fails to acknowledge WBTA's role in sponsoring the contest.
• The Economic Development Center has approved a $36,000 mortgage and tax abatement to help Summit Lubricants move into the former Pepsi plant at 4-D Treadeasy Ave. Summit manufactures heavy lubricants and has been in Batavia since 1991 and its expansion will lead to 17 new jobs.
• In Lifestyles, ag reporter Tom Rivers profiles Bob Welker, a herdsman at Stein Farms, where he helps deliver calves and tend to sick cows. "It takes a special person to be herdsman because not everyone can work with sick animals every day," co-owner Dale Stein told Rivers. "You have to e willing to do everything for the animals. Maybe one in a hundred cold do it -- maybe one in a thousand.

We recommend you pick up your copy of the Daily News at a local newsstand, or subscribe on the Daily News web site.

Check out WBTA for this and more stories:

• Muckdogs General Manager Dave Wellenzohn will stand atop a lift above the entrance to Dwyer Stadium starting this Friday morning and through to the premiere of his radio show — I presume on WBTA — at 8:15am Saturday morning. All in the name of promoting the team.

The City Council voted unanimously to approve a $10,000 fund transfer — another $15,000 will be voted on at the next meeting — to fix up the ball field at Dwyer Stadium, home to the Batavia Muckdogs. A recent inspection of the field by the grounds crew found an uneven field ravaged in some spots by divots.

Naomi Silver came by the meeting to talk about the proposed maintenance. Silver heads up the business side of the Rochester Red Wings that took over management of the Muckdogs in early March.

When Silver was questioned about how long the Rochester group planned to manage the Muckdogs — even if it failed to turn a significant profit — she said: "We want to come here. We don't want to get rich on it. We want to do the right thing."

Silver called the Red Wings relationship with the Muckdogs "a true labor of love."

Wouldn't it be cool to sing the National Anthem prior to a professional baseball game?

Well, here's your chance to see if your rendition  more closely matches Whtiney Houston or Roseanne Barr (warning, you really don't want to click that link unless you're completely deaf).

WBTA is sponsoring a contest that will allow the winner to sing the Anthem prior to the July 4 Muckdogs game. (More info: Last item in the April 28 news update.)

The auditions are at Noon on Saturday, May 17.  We're not clear on the location, but we think at Dwyer Stadium.

Speaking of WBTA --  previously we reminded you about their Saturday auction.  No online word on who won what items (if you won something, leave a comment), but the site says there is another auction June 6.  Why is this important? Because everybody loves an auction!

WBTA will broadcast all 38 home games for the Batavia Muckdogs this season, the local radio station announced this morning (the station's web site doesn't offer permalinks, so eventually that announcement will scroll down and off the page ... for anybody who finds this item weeks from now).

The station will also broadcast some away games. Wayne Fuller will handle play-by-play.