Cincy calls Cochran

Former Wild Things pitcher Tom Cochran had his contract purchased by the Cincinnati Reds organization Friday. The left-hander was playing for the Lancaster Barnstormers in the independent Atlantic League and had a 3-2 record and 4.67 ERA. Cochran, who played in Washington in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, has been assigned to the Carolina Mudcats, the Reds' Class AA affiliate in the Southern League.

Up in smoke

The Wild Things awaken today with a 2-4 record and without a series win. They should be 5-1 and coming off their second series win.

The reason for the three-game difference can be summed up by two words: relief pitching.

After tying for the league lead in blown saves last year with 15, the Wild Things have failed to convert three save opportunities in the last four games, including both games of a doubleheader Thursday at Gateway. In Washington's last three losses, the opponent scored the winning run in its final at-bat.

The bullpen received a major overhaul in the offseason, but it seems the more things change the more they stay the same. Jon Lewis was brought in to be the closer, but he has two blown saves in as many opportunities, including Game 1 Thursday, when the winning run scored on a wild pitch. In the nightcap, Washington had a 7-4 lead in the seventh inning (doubleheaders are seven innings) but gave up three solo home runs that forced extra innings. Chris Demons homered in the 8th to put the Wild Things back in the lead, but Gateway scored in the bottom of the eighth and won the game on a bases-loaded hit batsman in the ninth.

For the season, Washington relievers have pitched 20 1/3 innings and given up 18 hits, 20 walks and hit four batters for a 6.21 ERA. They have a 1-3 record.

Manager Mark Mason left himself open to some second-guessing during the doubleheader. In the opener, he took out starting pitcher Zach Groh after six innings. Groh was throwing a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and just one walk. In the second game, Matt Maradeo, who has been Washington's best reliever to date with 4 1/3 scoreless innings and no walks, was taken out after throwing two perfect innings and the game heading to the bottom of the seventh.

I wrote about this last year, but it's worth mentioning again: To me, the most impressive season by a Wild Things player was not Josh Loggins' MVP year in 2003, but Robert Garvin's 2002 season. Garvin began the year as just another arm in the bullpen but won the closer's job early in the season. He went 2-2 with 18 saves and a 2.20 ERA in 33 games. Those numbers are good, but not great, right?

Looking deeper into Garvin's season you'll find that he converted 18 of 20 save opportunities, including 18 straight. His two blown saves were in his first appearance of the year (in middle relief) and in his last outing of the regular season which, as it turned out, was a meaningless game because the Wild Things had clinched the division title only minutes earlier because of Richmond loss.

The most impressive aspect of Garvin's season was that he pitched 47 innings and issued only four walks. Think about that for a moment. Four walks in 47 innings. During one stretch, Garvin went 15 consecutive outings and 17 1/3 innings without walking a batter. Over that span, Garvin struck out 24 batters. Twenty-four strikeouts to zero walks. You think the Wild Things would like to have someone with those numbers today?

Another note from the doubleheader is Washington catcher Alan Robbins is facing a suspension after bumping the home-plate umpire following the game-ending wild pitch and play the the plate. It's never a good idea to make contact with an umpire, but it's even worse to do it when the league commissioner is in the ballpark.

Cleaning out the notebook

If you thought there were some long rain delays at Consol Energy Park, then you should have been in Kalamazoo, Mich., last night. The Kings and Evansville Otters waited three hours before starting their game at 10 p.m. This three-game series is Evansville's only trip to Kalamazoo, and with rain in the forecast for today (the game is in a rain delay as I type this), they wanted to do everything possible to get in the series opener. The Tuesday game lasted only eight innings before being cut short because of rain.

* Former Wild Things pitcher Patrick Stanley has been fitted for a lot of uniforms this season. Stanley, who is in the Detroit Tigers' system, played for his third team in less than a month Tuesday night when he pitched for the Erie Seawolves of the Class AA Eastern League.

Stanley began the year with Class A Lakeland, was promoted to Class AAA two weeks ago and pitched in one game for Toledo. In that game, Stanley tossed 2.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and was credited with a win. He was sent to Erie on Friday, and was the starting pitcher Tuesday against the Harrisburg Senators. Stanley pitched five shutout innings, allowing two hits with four strikeouts.

* The Frontier League team that will play next season in Normal, Ill., will be called the Normal CornBelters. Ugh!

The name received approximately 40 percent of the votes in an online contest.

“We like it for its promotional, retail and marketing potential," said team president Steve Malliet.

Other nickname finalists were Nutz, Coal Bears, Fellers and Camelbacks. The team will play at a new ballpark on the heartland Community College campus.

The good, the bad & the ugly

The Wild Things' bus pulled out of Consol Energy Park Monday afternoon headed for a six-game trip to the St. Louis area. The bus was carrying plenty of baggage. Much of that was emotional baggage from a season-opening three-game series against the Lake Erie Crushers that could be best described as ugly. In terms of quality of play, it was one of the worst series the Wild Things have ever played. And Lake Erie wasn't much better.

The Wild Things can look back on the series and say they should have won two games instead of one. They gave away a win Sunday. Of course, you can just as easily say that Lake Erie should have swept the series had its defense not gift-wrapped a win for Washington on Saturday night.

Amid all the walks, hit batsmen and fly balls that were dropped or lost in the lights, there were some positives signs for Washington. So let's look at what we've learned about this team from three games:

The Good:
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- Grant Psomas can flat-out hit. The ball jumps off his bat like no Washington hitter I've seen since Josh Loggins. If he continues hitting like this, manager Mark Mason will have to move him up in the lineup to either the No. 3 or No. 4 spot.

- Amid all the walks, there were a few pitchers whose performances might have gotten overlooked. Opening night starter Craig Snipp was impressive the first time through the Lake Erie batting order and had eight strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Reliever Matt Maradeo looked more like the guy who put up good numbers in the Chicago Cubs' system than the one who struggled with the Wild Things last year. Kedrick Martin tossed two shutout innings to get a win Saturday. Even Saturday starter Sean Heimpel and reliever Justin Edwards showed flashes that they could be very good.

- Catcher Kris Rochelle, coming off elbow surgery, had a very good series with three hits in two games and throwing out two basestealers in as many attempts. Rochelle gunned down the Crushers' Jodam Rivera each time. In the Sunday game, Rivera had a huge walking lead and jump at second base with a right-handed batter at the plate. Rochelle's throw was perfect and got to the base well ahead of Rivera.

The Bad:
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- The fielding. Three dropped fly balls of various degrees of difficulty. No excuse. By the way, whatever happened to catching fly balls with two hands?

- The baserunning mistake by Michael Parker that led the Wild Things not scoring on a sacrifice fly to deep center field. Sure, Chris Sidick could have been running faster to home plate, but he should not have needed to sprint like it was an Olympic 100-meter dash final. Parker trying to advance to second base wasn't wise. At least it was a mistake of aggression, which can often be overlooked.

The Ugly:
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- The pitching.

Here are the ugly numbers:

Washington pitchers walked 22 batters in 21 innings. They also hit five batters.

Lake Erie scored 21 runs in the series and 10 of those were batters who reached base via walks.

Nine times in the series, including five times Sunday, Washington pitchers walked the leadoff hitter in an inning.

Almost every pitcher worked from behind in the count. Someone told me Sunday that starter Eric Evans fell behind in the count to all but two of the 17 batters he faced. It wouldn't surprise me if that was true, even when you factor in Evans' six-pitch first inning.

Washington leads the league with its 22 walks allowed. Windy City's pitchers have issued only six walks in four games.

"Pitching-wise, we've got to get better," Mason said Sunday. "We were behind in the count all night. ... That means our pitchers are trying to be too fine and not pitching to contact. Either we're not comfortable with our stuff or we're trying to embarrass every hitter. If we do that at Gateway, in that park, we'll give up 20 runs."

One thing Mason said he saw too much of was breaking balls thrown on 1-0 and 2-1 counts.

Lake Erie also had its pitching problems, giving up 16 walks.

"Both clubs have entirely new pitching staffs," Lake Erie manager John Massarelli pointed out. "One year, when I managed with Mace as my pitching coach, we had the same situation and the first few games of the season were just like that. You're basically just running guys out there until you figure out what roles to put them in."

Looking back: Game 1

A few very random thoughts and some leftovers from the season opener Friday night:

* Grant Psomas can hit. It looks like it didn't take long for Psomas, who played 180 games in Double-A and seven in Triple-A the last two years, to figure out the Frontier League's style of pitching. Even before his two home runs Friday, Psomas' swing reminded me of Josh Loggins'.

"Adjusting to the fastball is the big thing for Grant," manager Mark Mason said. "He's used to seeing it at a higher range, so he was out in front. He's made some adjustments. He's seeing the ball deeper now."

* That was a game the Wild Things gave away. A classic we-don't-want-it, you-take-it game. You can't walk the bases loaded in a 4-3 game and drop a fly ball in the ninth inning and expect to win. Of Lake Erie's last six runs, four reached base on walks and two were unearned because of a dropped fly ball.

* I hate home openers. Some baseball person a long time said something that rings true with me: "The real baseball season begins with the second game of the season." I agree. Nothing about the opener is routine.

* Judging by the people I spoke with, I'm probably in the minority when I say I didn't mind the purple jerseys. I've been told they will be worn for Sunday home games. But, if they were going to wear a colored jersey, I prefer red. They wore a red jersey in one game last season (think it had something to do with a Washington Hospital promotion) and those were the best-looking colored jerseys they've had.

* Washington starting pitcher Craig Snipp was spectacular for 3 1/3 innings, striking out seven, including four in a row at one point. After giving a one-out triple to Gordon Gronkowski in the second inning, Snipp struck out the next two batters to strand the runner and keep the game scoreless. Lake Erie, however, figured out something about Snipp the second time through the order.

"We got beat by the 7-8-9 hitters in the fourth," Mason said. "Other than, I thought Snipp did a good job. He was outstanding the first time through the order."

* The one lasting vision I have from opening night is this: When pulling into the parking lot and seeing the large roped-off area, I thought this might be reserved for WJPA Radio's Bob Gregg, based on his vote on the tax-for-turf issue Thursday. Nope! I saw Bob getting out of his car, and it was parked somewhere closer to Greene County than the ballpark.

One final move

The Wild Things made a late roster move before tonight's regular-season opener against the Lake Erie Crushers. Washington reacquired right-handed starting pitcher Zach Groh from the Northern League's Gary SouthShore Railcats in exchange for reliever Kyle Heyne.

I assume Groh will go in the starting rotation at some point during the first two weeks of the season. He pitched in two games in relief (four innings) for Gary. Last year, Groh was 3-3 with Washington after joining the team in June. In his first game with Washington, Groh took a no-hitter into the sixth inning at Florence. He was injured shortly after that outing.

Heyne is the all-time saves leader in the Mid-American Conference. He's a sidearming right-hander and Washington had two of those (Matt Maradeo is the other), so the Wild Things were trading from a surplus.

Put away the lawn mower

In a split vote, the board of the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency agreed Thursday to devote $500,000 in hotel tax revenue for the next several years to provide artificial turf for Consol Energy Park.

Baseball Scholarships Inc., owner of the stadium, has also tapped a match of state taxpayers’ money for the $1 million project. BSI hopes to have the turf in place by the spring of 2010.

After an hour-long discussion, the board split 8-3 on the issue with Terry Hazlett, Jamie John and Tom Northrop voting not to enter into the agreement. Abstaining were Chris Blaine, marketing for the Wild Things, and Susan Ryan, who works for California University, which plays its home baseball games at the ballpark.

For more on this story, read Friday's Observer-Reporter.

East Division preview, part 2

Midwest Sliders
Location: Ypsilanti, Mich.
Manager: Eric Coleman (2nd year, 29-67)
Stadium: Oestrike Stadium (1,313)
Last year: 29-67, 6th in East
Key returners: P Kyle Kearcher (7-7, 4.35); OF Jonnie Knoble (.257, 26 SB); P Earl Oakes (5-2, 3.94, 14 saves); OF Zach Pace (.252, 26 SB).
Impact newcomers: SS Jonathan Castro (.314, 45 RBI for Edmonton of independent Golden League); INF Gil Zayas (.260 5 HR for Atlantic City of independent Can-Am League).
Outlook: The Sliders finally have a home. After playing last season as a traveling team, the Sliders will play their home games this year at Eastern Michigan University. Having a home field will make the Sliders better. This is basically the same team that played 28 games one-run games last year (losing 21) and 12 extra-inning games. Midwest never batted last in any of those games. Oakes is one of the best closers int he league and Kearcher developed into a frontline starter. Won'take the playoffs but could win as many as 40 games.
Did you know: The official name of the franchise is the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti.
Quoteable: “All the guys are excited about having a home field. It will be nice batting in the bottom of the 9th inning." - Eric Coleman

Traverse City Beach Bums
Location: Traverse City City, Mich.
Manager: Gregg Langbehn (1st year)
Stadium: Wuerfel Park (4,685)
Key returners: P Brett Bostleman (6-5, 3.81); OF Mike Epping (.284, 8 HR, 53 RBI, 38 SB); 1B Kyle Manus (.253, 10 HR, 53 RBI); P David Nathanson (12-3, league-best 2.28); P Jeff Williams (3-4, 3.40, 15 saves).
Impact newcomers: SS James Guerrero (reached high-Class A in Rockies' system); OF Brian Lapin (16 extra-base hits in 55 games in Class A).
Outlook: The Beach Bums missed the playoffs by one game last year and 1.5 games in 2006, so Langbehn was brought in to get the Bums over the hump. Traverse City returns the ace of the pitching staff in Nathanson, some bullpen experience and a top-of-the-order hitter in Epping. The key will be the middle of the order - is there enough doubles and triples hitters to take advantage of Wuerfel Park's huge gaps because home runs are rare in this ballpark. Might be in for another season of this-close agony.
Did you know? Langbehn, like Lake Erie's John Massarelli, was a manager in the Houston Astros' system.

Washington Wild Things
Location: Washington, Pa.
Manager: Mark Mason (1st year, 132-155 career in Frontier League)
Stadium: Consol Energy Park (3,200)
Key returners: DH Jacob Dempsey (.310, 31 doubles, 17 HR, league-high 88 RBI); SS Brett Grandstrand (.295, 13 SB); OF Chris Sidick (.311, 11 HR, 45 RBI, 21 SB); OF Matt Sutton (.295, 12 HR, 26 SB in 2007).
Impact newcomers: 1B Ernie Banks (.300, 6 HR, team-record 51 RBI for Jamestown of New York-Penn League); P Jon Lewis (0-1, 1.42, 9 saves for Evansville); 3B Grant Psomas (187 games, 23 HR in Class AA and AAA); P Craig Snipp (8-5, 3.94 for Sussex of independent Can-Am League).
Outlook: After missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last year, the Wild Things brought back Mark Mason, a veteran of four seasons as the team's pitching coach, to be the manager. Mason, who was Chillicothe's manager the last two seasons, made a major overhaul of the pitching staff, with only one player (Rick Austin) returning. Jon Lewis was acquired to stabilize the bullpen, which tied for the league lead in blown saves last year. The offense has more power potential but a big season is needed from Sutton, who was suspended last year. Postseason hopes rest largely on how the revamped pitching staff performs.
Did you know? Washington's .610 winning percentage is the best of any franchise that played more than one season in the league.

Roster trimmed

The Wild Things trimmed their roster to the mandatory 24 active players Tuesday by releasing two pitchers and placing two others on the disabled list.

Released were former California University player Rob Hedrick and Kalen Gearhart. The latter was signed out of the team's open tryout and has four years of experience in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system.

Placed on the disabled list were Jace Smith and Aaron Fuhrman. Smith was the last arrival to spring training. He's only been in town since Friday night.

The roster:

Pitchers (13 +2)
12—Aaron Fuhrman (DL)
14—Kedrick Martin
16—Jason Neitz
20—Eric Evans
21—Jon Lewis
22—Nick Peterson
23—Carig Snipp
25—Josh Eachues
30—Michael Lucas
33—Matt Maradeo
34—Kyle Heyne
36—Jace Smith (DL)
38—Justin Edwards
43—Sean Heimpel
44—Rick Austin
Catchers (2)
6—Alan Robbins
24—Kris Rochelle
Infielders (5)
1—Joe Spiers
2—Michael Parker
13—Brett Grandstrand
18—Grant Psomas
28—Ernie Banks
Outfielders (4)
4—Chris Demons
5—Chris Sidick
7—Matt Sutton
9—Jacob Dempsey

East Division preview, part 1

Florence Freedom
Location: Florence , Ky.
Manager: (Toby Rumfield, (1st year in Florence , 83-109 career in Frontier League)
Stadium: Champion Window Field (5,000)
Last year: 47-49, 4th in East
Key returners: OF Ryan Basham (.278, 11 HR, 53 RBI); P Andy Clark (10-2, 3.36); 3B Tim Grogan (.309, 11 HR); P Everett Saul (7-7, 5.44).
Impact newcomers: OF Erold Andrus (182 games in Class AA); OF Brad Hough (.270, 9 HR, 9 HR, 60 RBI, 24 SB for River City); OF Jay Johnson (.265, 64 RBI in Class AA in 2007); P Moises Melendez (4-3, 3.00, 2 saves in Class A); 1B Jeff Miller (.283, 15 HR, 66 RBI); P Jonathan Miller (3-5, 3.76, 9 saves for River City).
Outlook: Rumfield comes over from River City and replaces Jamie Keefe, who is the third-winningest manager in Frontier League history. There are so many former River City people on the roster and in front office that the team should be renamed the Freedom Rascals. Under Keefe, the Freedom always had enough offense but fell short in the pitching and defense departments. Florence led the league in home runs and errors last year. Gone are league home run champion Kelly Hunt, all-star Angel Molina and runs leader Garth McKinney. The trio combined for 66 home runs. That will be hard to replace, but the players acquired from River City and from the affiliated ranks might be enough to make Florence the team that challenges Kalamazoo for the division title.
Did you know? Champion Window Field’s playing surface was recently converted from grass to artificial turf.


Kalamazoo Kings
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Manager: Fran Riordan (6th year, 377-303 career in Frontier League)
Stadium: Homer Stryker Field (4,006)
Last year: 60-36, 1st in East, lost to Windy City in finals
Key returners: P John Brownell (11-2, 3.87); P Joe DiPietro (7-5, 3.28); OF Jeff Grose (.252, 54 RBI); P Trent Lare (8-5, 4.13); DH Brendon Murphy (.332, 16 HR, 77 RBI); P Brandon Parillo (1-3, 2.93 league-high 20 saves); 3B Joseph Ramos (.281, 10 HR, 65 RBI, league-high 45 SB); OF Simon Williams (.282, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 15 SB).
Impact newcomers: 1B Tim Brown (.274, 13 HR in Class AA in 2007, in Orioles' major-league camp in 2007); 3B/P Amos Ramon (.256, 5-4, 4.65 for Windy City).
Outlook: Easily the favorite in the East. The Kings began camp with 16 players, including four of five starting pitchers, returning from last year's team that won the division by 10 games and reached the championship series. Now they've added pitcher/third baseman Amos Ramon from Windy City and first baseman Tim Brown, who led Kalamazoo to the championship in 2005 and was in the Baltimore Orioles' major-league camp in 2007. The team everyone in the East is shooting for.
Did you know? Riordan, who is 36 wins away from becoming the Frontier League's winningest manager, has put a team in the finals four times in seven years.


Lake Erie Crushers
Location: Avon, Ohio
Manager: John Massarelli (1st year, 229-143 career in Frontier League)
Stadium: All Pro Freight Stadium
Last year: 39-57, 5th in east as Chillicothe Paints
Key returnee: INF Drew Saylor (.276, 3 HR, 48 RBI).
Impact newcomers: OF Scott Billak (.291, 7 HR, 55 RBI for Windy City); 3B Andrew Davis (all-time hits leader at Kent State, 3 years in San Francisco system); P Paul Fagan (4th-round draft pick of Seattle in 2003); OF Luke Hetherington (.305, 4 HR for Evansville, 459 games as a pro).
Outlook: Massarelli, the former Wild Things manager, says the Crushers are an expansion team. Though, technically, they aren't, he's not far off. Saylor is the only player who made the transition from Chillicothe to Avon. Massarelli's teams in Washington never failed to make the playoffs, but it might take his best coaching job to get the Crushers into the postseason. Lake Erie, however, will improve upon Chillicothe's 39 wins last year. Two things are certain for the Crushers: 1. Like any Massarelli team, they'll be more aggressive running the bases than any team in the league. 2. Massarelli will sign a couple of players out of the Mid-American Conference in late June.
Quoteable: "I think we're going to be a Southern Illinois kind of deal, sellouts every night." - Massarelli on baseball in Avon.

West Division preview, part 2

River City Rascals
Location: O'Fallon, Mo.
Manager: Chad Parker (1st year)
Stadium: T.R. Hughes Ballpark (5,191)
Last year: 47-49, 5th in West
Key returners: 2B Chris Raniere (.285, 11 HR); Ryan Wehrle (.267, 8 HR).
Impact newcomers: OF Chris Colton (658 pro games); OF Kevin Reynolds (10 games in Class AAA for Seattle); 1B Scott Robinson (MVP of independent South Coast League in 2007).
Outlook: The Rascals have the look of an expansion team. Only six players return from last year and many of the team’s best players were dealt to Florence to join former manager Toby Rumfield. The Rascals started out well last year, then went into a 9-22 tailspin and lost all-star closer Mike Benacka to affiliated ball. Only four hitters return from last year, but Parker has brought in some players with impressive credentials who can take advantage of T.R. Hughes Ballpark’s short right-field wall. But does the pitching staff have an ace and a closer?
Quoteable: “Scott is a tremendous pickup for us. He is of MVP-caliber on and off the field. … He can hit and play defense on any level.” – Parker on Scott Robinson.

Gateway Grizzlies
Location: Sauget, Ill.
Manager: Phil Warren (3rd year, 115-74)
Stadium: GCS Ballpark (6,000)
Last year: 51-35, 3rd in West, lost to Kalamazoo in playoffs
Key returners: LHP Joel Boeschen (5-2, 3.17 ERA, 5 saves); OF Stephen Holdren (.284, 14 HR); P Justin Lilly (7-5, 3.90 ERA); 1B Chad Rothford (.302, 5 HR).
Key newcomers: P Mark Brackman (4-3, 3.88 in Class A New York-Penn League); 3B Adrian Cantu (.276, 5 HR, 53 RBI for Chillicothe); OF Steve Mena (4 years in Diamondbacks’ system).
Outlook: You can count on the Grizzlies being competitive – they haven't finished worse than third in the West since 2002. GCS Ballpark is a haven for left-handed hitters, so expect Cantu to put up better numbers with the Grizzlies. The offense will miss first baseman Mike Breyman, the Frontier League's all-time leader in hits and RBI, but will be potent. Like with Southern Illinois, the key will be the pitching, especially the back end of the rotation.
Did you know? Sauget, Ill., population 250, is the smallest town to have a professional baseball team.

Evansville Otters
Location: Evansville, Ind.
Manager: Wayne Krenchicki (1st year)
Stadium: Bosse Field (5,110)
Last year: 39-57, 6th in West
Key returners: DH Justin Randall (2.80, 35 RBI for Evansville and Florence); P Justin Smith (1-2, 3.03, 9 saves, 41 Ks in 32.2 innings).
Impact newcomers: OF Josh Howard (57 games in Class AAA for San Diego); 3B Matt Pulley (5 seasons in Orioles' system); P Sean Thompson (63 starts, 14 wins in Class AA).
Outlook: Krenchicki, a veteran of eight seasons in the majors as a player, is a proven winner with 1,025 career victories as a minor-league manager. He guided Newark to the independent Atlantic League championship in 2007. This will be Krenchicki's first experience in the Frontier League and he's already upgraded the talent in Evansville by bringing in some players with impressive credentials by any independent league's standards. Exhibition games have indicated the Otters have enough pitching to make a playoff push but the hitting is a major concern.
Did you know? Now that the Chillicothe Paints are gone, Evansville is the oldest franchise in the Frontier Legaue. The Otters joined in 1995, the league's third season.

First roster moves

Manager Mark Mason made his first moves aimed at getting the Wild Things' roster down to the required 24 players by Tuesday when he released nine players Sunday afternoon. They were:

Pithcers - Corey Bachman, Brian Honeyman, Dan Horvath, Michael Mondesir.
Catcher - Jon Leber
Infielders - Chris Carrara, Aaron Janusey
Outfielders - Blake Butler, Alex Paluka

Horvath and Carrara each had solid seasons last year with Washington. Carrara's release means Joe Spiers will likely make the team as a backup infielder.

Mondesir and Honeyman were the starting pitchers in the Friday exhibition games. They combined to throw seven scoreless innings against Lake Erie.

There are only four outfielders - if you count DH Jacob Dempsey as an outfielder - and five infielders in camp. I wouldn't be surprsied if Mason is looking to add another outfielder.

Of the remaining 28 players, 17 are pitchers. If the two catchers, five infielders and four outfielders are kept, that means 13 pitchers will make the team.

West Division preview, part 1

Windy City ThunderBolts
Location: Crestwood, Ill.
Manager: Tommy Thompson (1st year)
Stadium: Standard Bank Stadium (3,600)
Last year: 60-36, 1st in West; beat Kalamazoo in finals
Key returners: RHP Stephen Flake (10-3, 4.04); RHP Ross Stout (11-3, 2.57, 121 strikeouts, MVP of championship series); OF Mike Sullivan (.310, 14 SBs).
Impact newcomers: RHP Billy Petrick (pitched in eight major-league games for Chicago Cubs in 2007); 1B J.T. Restko (44 home runs in 6 seasons in Marlins’ system).
Outlook: Thompson is Windy City’s fourth manager in three seasons but the ThunderBolts have won the last two league championships. Thompson was the 2007 Baseball America High-A Manager of the Year with Frederick in the Baltimore Orioles’ system and has more than 250 career wins. With the addition of former major leaguer Petrick, Windy City could have the best starting rotation in the league. But Petrick, who has had two surgeries since playing in the majors, already has been placed on the disabled list. Finding a closer is a must because Matt Petty (41 saves last two years) is gone. The offense took a hit in the offseason, losing the top five RBI guys, including league MVP Phil Hawke. The ThunderBolts are still a solid playoff contender, and if the young hitters come around, then Windy City could become the league’s first team to three-peat.
Noteable: Bench coach Mike Kashirsky was the interm manager the ThunderBolts in the second half of last season and guided them to the league championship.


Southern Illinois Miners
Location: Marion, Ill.
Manager: Mike Pinto (3rd year, 107-85)
Stadium: Rent One Park (3,611)
Last year: 58-38, 2nd in West; lost to Windy City in playoffs.
Key returners: RHP Ryan Bird (13-3, 2.48, league-leading 152 strikeouts, Pitcher of the Year); OF Kevin Koski (.285, 16 SBs); 1B/OF Joey Metropoulos (.315, 20 HR, 66 RBI).
Impact newcomers: C Brandon Ketron (.330, 5 HR for Washington in 2006); OF Jereme Milons (47 HR, 101 SBs in 7 pro seasons); SS Gered Mochizuki (.314, 19 SBs for Evansville).
Outlook: Southern Illinois was second in team ERA last year when it made the playoffs in its second season in the league. The Miners return Bird and some effective relievers but must rebuild the back of the rotation. The Miners also must replace third baseman Brandon Jones and first baseman Tim Dorn, who combined for 41 home runs last year, and reliable shortstop Mike Scanzano. If replacements for the left side of the infield are found, the Miners will be back in the playoff hunt.
Did you know? Pinto is a motivational speaker and his clients include Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of “In a League of Your Own, Positioning Yourself as the Only One to Call.”

Rockford RiverHawks
Location: Rockford, Ill.
Manager: Bob Koopman (2nd year of 2nd stint, 199-156)
Stadium: Road Ranger Stadium (3,279)
Last year: 48-48, 4th in West
Key returners: OF/P Jason James (.350, 13 HR, 74 RBI, 11 SB); 1B Robbie Knapp (.317, 8 HR, 57 RBI for Rockford and Washington); P Kyle Marcum (6-1, 4.78).
Impact newcomers: OF Mike Goetz (.314, 14 SBs for Traverse City); RHP Mike Rogers (Oakland’s 2nd-round draft pick in 2004; 8 starts in Class AA).
Outlook: If you had a bat and pair of spikes, then you were probably in camp with the RiverHawks. Word is Rockford had 62 players in spring training. Like Washington, the RiverHawks have not had a losing season in seven years in the league, but they lost six straight to end last year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003. With James, Goetz and Knapp, Rockford will hit. The key will be the starting pitching, which was a disappointment last year.
Did you know? Rockford will host the Frontier League all-star game July 15.

Roster musings

Some thoughts and notes after watching two exhibition games Friday against Lake Erie, the latter of which ended in a 3-3 tie after 10 innings:

- The Friday games did little to help manager Mark Mason figure out who to keep in his bullpen. For example, lefty Dan Horvath was the only consistent reliever on the team last year (with the exception of one puzzling outing against Traverse City) but he gave up six hits, two walks and hit a batter in one inning of the day game. Do you judge Horvath on what he did last year or do you write off Friday's outing as just one of those days?

- Sidearmer Kyle Heyne gave up a home run but it was a swing-late fly ball down the left-field line by a left-handed hitter that ended up in the visitors' bullpen. More of a wall-scraper than a blast. Otherwise, Heyne threw strikes. He also has a track record of pitching well in tight situations - he's the all-time saves leader in the Mid-American Conference.

Kedrick Martin walked three over 2 1/3 innings but retired five in a row (two on strikeouts) at one point.

Josh Eachues, Kalen Gearhart and Michael Lucas combined for four scoreless innings (two hits and one walk allowed) in the opener. Each helped his case for a roster spot. My guess is that only Kris Rochelle and Alan Wiggins will make the team as catchers, so does Eachues' value increase because he can be a third catcher? I don't know because I haven't seen him catch this spring. I guess that means no.

- Second baseman Michael Parker went 3-for-4 with a walk in the night game. It looks like he will be an impact newcomer.

- Rob Hedrick is creating another difficult decision for the coaching staff. They like the former California University player's arm strangth as a pitcher, which was not his primary position with the Vulcans. Hedrick played second base in the day game, then pitched a perfect 10th inning in the night game, retiring Lake Erie's 3-4-5 hitters. If Hedrick makes the team it will be as the 24th man, a utility guy who can be worked with all year to refine his pitching mechanics.

- Heyne probably made the team Friday night and Horvath lost a spot on the roster.

- It seems that three pitchers who have locked up spots in the starting rotation are Rick Austin, Craig Snipp and Eric Evans.

- The three pitchers with no pro experience (Michael Mondesir, Brian Honeyman and Hedrick) began the spring at the bottom of the depth chart but tossed a combined eight scoreless innings against Lake Erie.

- Right-hander Jace Smith arrived in Washington Friday night, which brings the number of pitchers in camp to 21. Smith will pitch in tonight's exhibition game.

- Mason has said he wants to trim the roster to 24 or 25 players by the end of the weekend.

Spring training: Game 1

The Lake Erie Crushers, the newest franchise in the Frontier League, scored eight runs in the top of the sixth inning Friday to beat the Wild Things, 8-2, before a crowd of 2,800 school kids at Consol Energy Park.

Five Lake Erie pitchers combined on a six-hitter. Left fielder Jacob Dempsey had two of Washington's hits, including a home run to lead off the eighth inning.

Dempsey was the only Washington player who has locked up a spot in the starting lineup to play in the game. Lake Erie also held out several of its top hitters.

Lake Erie scored all of its runs against left-handed relief pitcher Dan Horvath. The Crushers had six hits in the big inning and combined them with two walks, a hit batsman and two errors.

Four other Washington pitchers - starter Michael Mondesir (3 innings), Josh Eachues (2 innings), Kalen Gearhart (2 innings) and Michael Lucas (1 inning) - combined to blank Lake Erie on four hits over the other eight innings.

Washington scored first on Alex Paluka's triple down the right-field line that drove in Joe Spiers, who had two hits and reached base three times.

The teams will play the nightcap of the day-night doubleheader at 7:05 p.m.

Back to the ballpark

After 10 days of playing intrasquad and simulated games, the Wild Things finally face another team today when they play the Lake Erie Crushers - managed by John Massarelli - in a day-night exhibition doubleheader today at Consol Energy Park.

First-year Washington manager Mark Mason indicated that he prefers to have his roster trimmed to 24 or 25 players by Sunday, so the three weekend exhibition games against Lake Erie might be the final chances for players to make a good impression. Most of the undecided roster spots are on the pitching staff, especially in the bullpen. Jon Lewis will be the closer, and two or three relief spots will go to pitchers who lost out in the competition for starting positions. That leaves no more than three spots open, so guys like Trinity graduate Michael Lucas, Dan Horvath, Matt Maradeo, Kyle Heyne, Kedrick Martin, California University product Rob Hedrick and Kalen Gearhart might need a good weekend to make the club. Corey Bachman (shoulder) is a candidate to begin the season on the disabled list.

The starting position players will be Ernie Banks at first base, Michael Parker at second base, Brett Granstrand at shortstop, Grant Psomas at third base, Chris Sidick, Matt Sutton and Chris Demons in the outfield with Jacob Dempsey as the DH. Kris Rochelle and Alan Robbins will handle the catching. That leaves no more than three bench spots to be won. One of those spots will go to an infielder, either Chris Carrara or Joe Spiers. It's doubtful that Mason will keep both players. Dempsey will be the fourth outfielder, which might open up a spot for first baseman Aaron Janusey, a Peters Township graduate. It wouldn't surprise me if the Wild Things bring in another outfielder before the regular season starts.

Another Frontier-to-majors trip

The Arizona Diamondbacks called up left-handed relief pitcher Clay Zavada, pictured, from Double-A Mobile on Tuesday. Zavada played in the Frontier League last year for the Southern Illinois Miners and probably holds the record for fastest journey from the FL to the majors.

Zavada pitched in two games against the Wild Things last year, getting a win in an 8-3 Miners victory in Marion, Ill. on June 4 and earning a save in a 5-3 game at Consol Energy Park on June 11.

More notes from camp

The picture is not a scene from Wild Things spring training, though it's not a stretch. The intrasquad game was stopped twice Monday because of weather - early in the game by rain (again) and late by lightning.

There are still 20 pitchers in camp - Jace Smith will arrive Friday to make 21 - and I've seen all 20 throw at least one inning except closer Jon Lewis, who left after two batters today because of a blister on a finger (insert here the "I got blisters on my fingers" yell from The Beatles' "Helter Skelter").

Manager Mark Mason said he started with 12 pitchers vying for five rotation spots. He's now down to eight starting pitchers. Mason didn't say who the eight are, but here's a guess that some are Craig Snipp, Jason Neitz, Rick Austin, Eric Evans, Nick Peterson, Justin Edwards and Sean Heimpel. I don't know if Smith is included in the eight. Kendrick Martin might be another potential starter.

- The best defensive play in the intrasquad game was made by first baseman Aaron Janusey, who made a diving catch on a line drive to rob Ernie Banks of a double down the right-field line.

- Catcher Steve Pickerell (death in family) has not reported to camp but Washington seems solid - at least defensively - at catcher. Kris Rochelle has looked good in camp and lefty-hitting Alan Robbins is another catcher with a strong arm.

- While Washington will have some interesting roster decisions to make, especially with the pitching staff, the Frontier League team with even tougher decisions is Rockford. The Riverhawks have four veterans and three L2 players (including former Wild Things third baseman Robbie Knapp) on their roster. The Frontier league limit is three Vets and two L2s.

- Windy City placed Billy Petrick, who pitched in eight games for the Chicago Cubs in 2007, on the 14-day disabled list.

Letter from camp

Thoughts and observations from Thursday, the second day of spring training:

- Only saw the morning session, which was the intrasquad game. There were more relievers than potential starters on the mound. None of the pitchers stood out but none got lit up, either. Josh Eachuses, the converted catcher, and Dan Horvath got the best results. Justin Edwards, the former West Liberty pitcher, seemed to throw the hardest of the group and might be a candidate for a starting spot. Michael Mondesir struck out three of the six batters he faced.

- The story of the day had to be the field conditions, or to be more specific the outfield conditions. Water, water and more water. What a mess. Reminded me of some of those games last year against Midwest. Because W&J's Ross Memorial Park was hosting to the Presidents' Athletic Conference tournament, the Wild Things had little choice but to muddle through the muck at Consol Energy Park. Late in the scrimmage, shortstop Joe Spiers dove for a fly ball in shallow left centerfield and landed in a mud puddle. One batter later, Blake Butler was playing right field when a shallow fly was hit in his direction. Butler tried to make a face-first diving catch. After seeing the water fly, I was tempted to give Butler a 9.8 for his dive into the pool (the Russian judge would have given the dive a 7.5). When he stood up, Butler's uniform was soaked and covered in mud. It looked like he had just played four quarters in the rain at Heinz Field.

- Two rarities did happen during the intsrasquad game: a triple play was turned and Chris Sidick grounded into a double play. The triple play came with runners on second and third and the infield drawn in. The batter grounded out to second base, then Spiers took off late for home and was tagged out in a rundown. The runner on second base was then thrown out. The triple play would have never happened in a game situation. Had it been during a game with a coach at third base, Spiers would have been running on contact or staying put. Sidick's 6-4-3 DP was interesting only because he grounded into just four double plays in 1,096 at-bats the last three years.

- Sidick has changed his uniform number from 12 to 5.

- Second baseman Michael Parker, pictured, made the play of the day. He fielded a ball on the grass behind the bag and, as his momentum carried him toward left field, he threw out the batter. Washington's had some good defensive second basemen, but the only one I've seen make the play Parker did was Ryan Ellis.

- That Butler even attempted to dive into the water and catch the fly ball probably shouldn't come as a surprise. He seems to play full-tilt all the time, even on the basepaths.

_ Kris Rochelle should no longer be considered injured. His arm looks as strong as ever.

Speed Demons

The Wild Things hope they found a starting outfielder Tuesday at the Frontier League's tryout and draft. Chris Demons, a veteran of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, was chosen by Washington with the second overall pick.

Demons (5-10, 176) was the only player at the tryout with experience at the Class AAA level, abeit for only eight games last year with the Syracuse Chiefs. Demons had been playing for the Auburn Doubledays in the short-season New York-Penn League when Syracuse needed another outfielder for the final 10 days of the season.

Before being signed by the Blue Jays, Demons spent the 2007 season in the now-defunct independent South Coast League. He played for former New York Mets second baseman Wally Backman with the South Georgia Peanuts. That was the year a documentary called "Playing for Peanuts" was shot about the South Georgia team. I believe it aired on PBS.

Demons is speedster. He clocked a 6.50 in the 60-yard dash at the tryout and was disappointed in his time.

"I felt bad about it. I didn't even want to know my time," Demons said. "I felt like it was below par for me."

Demons has been clocked in as fast as 6.37 in the 60.
A breakout senior season at Augusta State, an NCAA Division II school in Georgia, turned Demons into a prospect. As a pro, he's never hit for a high average (.245 career average) but he's drawn 55 walks and stolen 49 bases in 113 games.

Demons says the brief stint in Class AAA has made him a better player and given him a better understanding of how to prepare for a game.

"For any player who has been to Triple-A, the experience has to change them," Demons said. "I was a kid playing a kids game against kids. When I went to Triple-A, it was grown men playing. They take the game much more seriously, especially from a preparation standpoint."

Demons said he didn't know what to expect at the FL tryout, but he did some homework on the league's teams before driving to Washington.

"I was checking rosters and transactions and seeing who might need an outfielder," Demons said. "When I got here, I looked around the ballpark. I thought that if I was fortunate enough to be drafted, Washington wouldn't be a bad place to play."

Notes from the first day of spring training:
- Catcher Kris Rochelle, who had reconstructive elbow surgery last August, received medical clearance Monday to participate in all workouts. Rochelle is far ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. The Richmond, Va., native is optimistic that he will be ready for opening day.

- With rain in the forecast, manager Mark Mason changed his practice schedule. The team opened camp with an intrasquad scrimmage in the morning and took batting practice in the afternoon. I didn't see the intrasquad game but was told the pitchers dominated. That was to be expected on the first day of camp. The standout seemed to be new closer Jonathan Lewis.

- Newly signed first baseman Ernie Banks (no, not that Ernie Banks) has plenty of power. He sent a half dozen balls over the outfield wall – all to the opposite field.

- The batting swing of Alex Pakula doesn't look like it belongs on an outfielder who hit only .235 for Point Park University last year.

- The only players who failed to report to camp were catcher Steve Pickerell (death in family) and pitcher Jace Smith (attending college). Both are expected to arrive by May 15. There are 37 players in camp.

- Washington signed catcher Alex Collura, a Colorado Springs resident who was last with the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent Northern League. At the age of 16, Collura was the bullpen catcher for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the Colorado Rockies' Class AAA affiliate.

Frontier League draft

Results of the Frontier League draft held Tuesday afternoon at Consol Energy Park. Washington took two players, one outfielder and the player who was the Wild Things' bullpen catcher last year:

Team, player, position, last school/organization
Round 1
1. Midwest – Chris Rollins, RHP, Chicago Cubs
2. Washington (from Lake Erie) – Chris Demons, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
3. Evansville – Nathan Fike, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies
4. Evansville (from Florence) – Bobby Brown, OF, Maine
5. Rockford (from River City) – Chad Dawson, RHP, Chicago White Sox
6. Rockford – Kurt Hayer, RHP, Boston College
7. Washington – Jon Leber, C, California University
8. Traverse City – David Hurst, LHP, L.A. Angels
9. River City (from Gateway) – Matt Restivo, LHP, Washington
10. Southern Illinois – Brad Meier, C, Rockford
11. Kalamazoo – Jon Sprowls, RHP, Cleveland State
12. Windy City – Justin Costi, RHP, Kansas City (Northern)
Round 2
1. Midwest – Ralph Rosas, 1B, Lincoln Memorial
2. Lake Erie – Reid Lamport, RHP, Kent State
3. Evansville – Jon Montague, C, Eastern U.
4. Florence – Henry Sanchez, SS, Lambuth, U.
5. River City, Mike Hart, RHP, Carson-Newman
6. Lake Erie – Rob Vernon, OF, Chillicothe
7. Traverse City – Kyle Stahlberg, RHP, Dayton
8. Gateway – Shawn Ellis, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
9. Southern Illinois – Kellen Kimiecik, OF, Southern Wesleyan
10. Kalamazoo – Mike Jacobson, LHP, Wisconsin-Whitewater
11. Windy City – Zach Aakhus, C, Northwest Nazarene
Round 3
1. Lake Erie – B.J. Richmond, RHP, L.A. Dodgers
2. Florence – Luis Santiago, C, Queensboro CC
3. River City – Joe Welsh, LHP, Washington Nationals (Welsh traded to Gateway)
4. Traverse City – Eric Theisen, RHP, Illinois State
5. Gateway – Jareck West, OF, Oakland A’s
6. Kalamazoo – Ross Fetterly, RHP, Old Dominion
7. Windy City – Sean Conley, OF, Pitt
Round 4
1. Gateway – Scott Kelly, RHP, N.Y. Yankees
2. Windy City, Joseph McIntyre, P, North Carolina A&T
Round 5
1. Gateway – George Roha, LHP, Univ. of Findlay

Welcome to Pennsyl-rainia

The first day of the Frontier League's open tryout at Consol Energy Park and Washington & Jefferson's Ross Memorial Park was rained out Monday. The tryout will be condensed into one day with the draft to follow. Players are scheduled to be on the field Tuesday at 8 a.m. for 60-yard dashes.

Washington has two picks in the first round. The Wild Things hold the No. 2 overall selection, which was acquired in a trade last year with the Chillicothe Paints (Washington traded the 10th picks in the first and second rounds last year for Chillicothe's first-round pick in 2009). The Wild Things also own their own first-round pick, which is No. 7.

There were 220 players who showed up at CEP Monday morning. Another 15 had preregistered but were no-shows. There are some interesting names on the player list, including two former Wild Things, pitcher Alan Stidfole and outfielder Rob Vernon, at least one player with Triple-A experience and another who made it to Double-A. There are 93 pitchers and 56 outfielders in the tryout.

Trying out some notes

Some notes, thoughts and observations from the Wild Things' tryout camp:

* Kalen Gearhart, the pitcher the Wild Things signed Saturday, certainly has a chance to make the team. He's not your typical player who shows up at a tryout camp in that he has four years of pro experience. Gearhart, who is only 23, spent four years in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system, pitching in 67 games (all in relief) and compiling a 5-3 record with a 3.81 ERA.

* The most impressive thing about Gearhart's career statistics is he walked only 27 batters in 106 innings in pro ball. The guys throws strikes.

* Wild Things manager Mark Mason said 12 pitchers will compete during spring training for five spots in the rotation.

* You can get a sunburn when it's overcast.

* Gearhart also uncorked only one wild pitch in his last three seasons with the Dodgers.

* Two Washington players - catcher Steve Pickerell and pitcher Jace Smith - will be late arrivals for spring training. Mason said Smith will be one of the candidates for a starter's spot and would be surprised if he makes it, even with a late arrival to camp. With Pickerell being delayed, you can count on the Wild Things selecting a catcher Tuesday at the Frontier League draft.

* The drainage in the outfield at Consol Energy Park isn't any better than it was last year.

* I feel like I've heard of as many colleges and universities as anyone out there, but tryout camps usually bring players from places I've never heard of. Saturday's where-is-that schools were Danville Community College and Southern Wesleyan University. Each of those schools had a player at the tryout. Danville Community College is in Danville, Va., and Southern Wesleyan is in Central, S.C.

More fake stuff

FieldTurf is currently being installed at Florence's Champion Window Field, replacing the old grass surface. The playing field apparently was settling unevenly and the Bermuda grass was unsuitable for the Northern Kentucky climate, so the change was made.

This means only Washington and Kalamazoo in the East Division will have all-grass fields. Florence, Traverse City and Lake Erie are turf and the Midwest Sliders will be play at Eastern Michigan University's Oestrike Stadium, which has an artifical turf inifled and grass outfield.

UPDATE: The photo was updated to show work as of May 7

The waiting is the hardest part

It's less than 24 hours until the on-field part of the Frontier League season begins for the Wild Things with their annual open tryout Saturday morning at Consol Energy Park. The Frontier League's tryout and player draft - each team must select at least 2 players - will be Monday and Tuesday in Washington.

If you check the Wild Things' roster, you might notice there are at least two positions in which depth is needed. One is catcher, where only Steve Pickerell and injured Kris Rochelle are on the roster.

The other position is first base, where Washington does not have a player with pro experience. Only Peters Township graduate Aaron Janusey is on the roster as a first baseman.

The Wild Things were expected to announce the signing of three more players as early as Wednesday, but that hasn't happened. Word is they were to sign catcher Alan Robbins, along with a first baseman/outfielder-type player and an infielder. Robbins was a teammate of Jacob Dempsey and Chris Carrara at Winthrop University and spent three years in the Philadelphia Phillies' system. he has the reputation of being a good catch-and-throw guy, better defensively than with the bat.

UPDATE: The Wild Things announced the signing of Robbins late Friday afternoon. Washington also signed one outfielder and lost another.

Signing was Alex Paluka, a Murrysville native and Franklin Regional High School graduate. Paluka played at the University of Iowa and Eastern Connecticut State before concluding his career at Point Park. Paluka played four years at Franklin Regional under Wild Things pitching coach Larry Wayman. Paluka batted only .235 for Point Park last spring.

"Alex is someone who we've worked out, and we've watched him hit. … We liked what we saw and wanted to give him an opportunity to come to camp," added Mason.

Washington also announced the retirement of outfielder Jason Appel who, judging by the current roster, would have seen significant playing time. This roster move leaves the Wild Things with only two outfielders with pro experience (none at the affiliated level), Chris Sidick and Matt Sutton. Not a good way to start camp.