All-Decade Team: DH

If there is a position that should be one of strength for a Frontier League team each season, then it has to be designated hitter. After all, it's much easier to find a guy who can only hit than find one who can hit and play quality defense for 96 games, right?

For most of their 10 seasons, the Wild Things have had a productive designated hitter. Choosing a DH for the all-decade team is a process that starts with four candidates: Jay Coakley, Jacob Dempsey (pictured), Robbie Knapp and Matt Swope. Each put up good numbers, and all but Swope played at least parts of two or more seasons in Washington.

Swope was the Wild Things' DH for the a portion of the 2005 season. An outfielder by trade, Swope was signed after playing in the Montreal Expos' system. He was working his way back from a shoulder injury that prevented him from playing the outfield for the first two months of the season, but when healthy enough to hit, Swope was inserted as the DH. Swope batted .309 with eight home runs, 54 RBI and 11 stolen bases from the leadoff spot. He also holds the team record with a 26-game hitting streak.

However, Swope, who these days hosts a radio talk show on the ESPN affiliate in Baltimore, played only 36 games at DH (played 25 in the outfield), and that's not enough to win the all-decade spot.

The same situation involves Knapp, who played multiple positions for Washington in 2007 and again in '08 before being traded to Rockford. Knapp could hit. He batted .306 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI in '07, and .296 with 15 extra-base hits the following year before being traded. Knapp, however, played only 52 games with Washington at DH.

That leaves Coakley and Dempsey. Coakley was one of the first pickups for Washington after its 2002 season began. A former NCAA Division III Player of the Year at Marietta College, Coakley spent three years with the Wild Things and carried better batting averages than you might think (.307, .284 and .274). He hit 30 home runs and drove in 127 runs. The latter total would have been larger had he not batted behind Josh Loggins for his first two seasons.

While Coakley's numbers were very good, they don't' match those of Dempsey. The lefty swinging power hitter played three years in Washington and produced some eye-popping numbers: 61 doubles, 57 home runs, 221 RBI, 170 walks.

Dempsey put up huge numbers at Winthrop University, then played in the Philadelphia Phillies' system before being released. The Wild Things tried hard to sign Dempsey shortly after he was released, but he opted to return to college for a year. After sitting out one summer, Dempsey signed with Washington. He proved to be worth the wait.

Dempsey's first two seasons with the Wild Things were remarkable, and he was named to the league's postseason all-star team each year. In 2008, Dempsey batted .310 with 17 home runs and 88 RBI. In '09, it was .281 with 31 home runs and 81 RBI.

Dempsey was slowed by an injury in his final season and retired before it's conclusion. But for two years, Dempsey was one of the best hitters in a hitter-friendly league.

Now, it's time to put together a five-man pitching rotation.

All-Decade Designated Hitter: Jacob Dempsey (2008-10)

Broom service?

The Wild Things have a chance to sweep a series tonight -- on the road, no less -- when they play the Evansville Otters at Bosse Field.

Being the Frontier League team with the fewest road wins (12) this year, Washington getting a road sweep would be something that hasn't for this franchise a long time. Just how long? I had to search a while for that one.

The last three-game road sweep for the Wild Things came May 25-27 of last year, at Kalamazoo. Washington completed the sweep by winning the final game of the series 12-8 in 13 innings. If I recall correctly, Jacob Dempsey had home run in the 13th.

5 Dempsey moments

Jacob Dempsey (pictured) who spent three seasons with the Wild Things as their designated hitter and won Frontier League home run and RBI titles, decided to "find something else to do" after Sunday's game against Normal and retired.

Dempsey put up off-the-charts numbers at Winthrop University (.403, 28 doubles, 17 home runs, 78 RBI) as a senior, was a 20th round draft pick of Philadelphia and finished fifth in the New York-Penn League in home runs in his only season in the Phillies' system. His defensive deficiencies are likely what led him to being released prior to the 2007 season.

The Wild Things pursued Dempsey for more than a year before getting him to sign. The left-handed slugger opted to return to college before joining her Wild Things.

He put up big numbers with Washington before an assortment of injuries hurt his production. He leaves as the franchise's record holder for career and single-season home runs and RBI.

Here are five memorable Dempsey moments, not including the shaving-cream-pie-in-the-face after Sunday's game:

1. Dempsey goes 4-for-4 with two home runs and a grand slam in a win July 25 of this season against Oakland County.

2. He hits a game-winning home run in the top of the 13th inning on May 27 of this season to beat the Kalamazoo Kings at Homer Stryker Field.

3. In a doubleheader at Midwest late last year, Dempsey goes 5-for-7 with three solo home runs, a double and four RBI. He sets the franchise's single-season RBI record that day.

4. In a game July 25, 2009, Dempsey hits two homers and drives in five runs in a two-inning span as Washington rallies to beat Traverse City.

5. On July 12, 2009 against Evansville, Dempsey steals his only base as a Wild Thing. I wasn't there that night, but there had to be some story behind that one.

Tuesday night leftovers

If Darin Everson has proven anything in his short stint as the Wild Things' manager, it's that he's not afraid to call for a squeeze play, whether the suicide or safety variety. It was the latter that produced the winning run Tuesday night in Washington's 6-5 victory over Gateway.

Billy O'Conner put down a bunt on the first pitch he saw from Grizzlies reliever David Miller to score Luis Rivera from third base and give the Wild Things a 6-5 victory.

It's at least the second time Everson has used the squeeze play in the season's first three weeks. John Massarelli called for a couple of squeeze plays -- I recall one was with Brett Grandstrand batting and beat Kalamazoo -- with success during his four years as the Wild Things' manager. I don't recall any squeeze bunts called by Washington's other managers. I asked one of those managers why he never uses the squeeze and his response was "Scouts want to see hitters drive people in, not bunt them in."

Everson has shown he's playing to win and isn't afraid to try anything to get a victory.

* For the past week, the best job in the world was to be a Gateway Grizzlies relief pitcher. During a six-game homestand, while the Gateway starters toiled just about forever, the Grizzlies' hitters outscored the opponents 73-18 and hit eight home runs in a 25-1 rout Sunday over Lake Erie. The guys out in Bullpenville had less to do than the night guard at a sewerage treatment plant. David Miller, the Grizzlies' 6-foot-10 reliever, could have visited the family in Fort Worth for a week and nobody would have noticed.

So when Grizzlies were finally locked in a close game Tuesday, you had to excuse reliever Eric Gilliland if he was a little rusty when it came to recognizing the signal to enter a game. While Grizzlies manager Phil Warren held court on the mound during the bottom of the seventh inning, Gilliland trotted into the game from the left-field bullpen at Consol Energy Park.

The only problem was that nobody had called for Gilliland to enter and replace starter John Flanagan. Gilliland nearly made it to the infield before Warren and several Grizzlies began waving frantically for him to get off the field and return to the bullpen.

* One item of concern for the Wild Things has to be left-handed hitting Jacob Dempsey's .059 batting average (1-for-17) against lefty pitching.

* While Washington won in the 10th inning Tuesday, the key frame for the Wild Things was the fourth. That's when they scored two runs after having two outs and nobody on base. O'Conner, the No. 8 hitter, singled to right field and Chris Raniere followed with a line-drive single up the middle. O'Conner made it to third base on the play.

Chris Sidick then chopped a risky two-out bunt past the pitcher's mound for an infield single that scored O'Conner, and Michael Parker hit a sharp single off the glove of sliding Gateway shortstop Tyler Heil to give Washington a 5-3 lead.

Dempsey named to league all-star team

Washington designated hitter Jacob Dempsey was named Friday to the Frontier League's all-star team.

Dempsey, the Wild Things' designated hitter, went into Friday night's game against Florence leading the league with 91 RBI and 53 extra-base hits, and was second in home runs with 29. The RBI and home-run totals are the Wild Things' single-season records. Dempsey, who is in his second season with Washington, is third in the league in slugging percentage (.611).

Dempsey mentioned to me prior to Thursday night's game against Kalamazoo that he has played much of the season with a torn labrum that will require surgery later this month. Dempsey received the results of an MRI Thursday and they revealed the extent of the injury.

Ernie Banks, who played for Washington until being traded to River City early in August, was named the all-star first baseman. Banks has 24 home runs and is second in the league with a .355 batting average.

Southern Illinois' Joey Metropoulos, who has a league-best 30 home runs, was voted the Most Valuable Player. Lake Erie's Paul Fagan (14-3, 2.51) was the Pitcher of the Year, Windy City outfielder Vinnie Scarduzio the Rookie of the Year and River City's Chad Parker the Manager of the Year.

The 2009 all-star team:
1B – Ernie Banks – Washington/River City
2B – Gilberto Mejia – Windy City
SS – Tony Roth – Southern Illinois
3B – Andrew Davis – Lake Erie
OF – Jason James – Rockford
OF – Joey Metropoulos – Southern Illinois
OF – Chad Maddox – River City
C – Charlie Lisk – Gateway
DH – Jacob Dempsey - Washington
SP – Paul Fagan – Lake Erie
RP – Jason Lowey – River City

6 games, 6 questions

The Wild Things begin a season-ending six-game homestand Tuesday night with a series against the Kalamazoo Kings. Here are six questions to be answered during the homestand:

1. How long will it take for Chris Sidick to set the Frontier League record for career hits? Sidick tied the record of 458 hits held by Mike Breyman (Gateway, 2004-08) during Washington's win Sunday at Midwest.

2. Can the Wild Things avoid the basement? Washington is currently in fifth place, two games ahead of last-place Midwest, thanks to beating the Sliders in the last two games. The best-case scenario for Washington is a fourth-place finish.

3. Can Jacob Dempsey break the league's single-season RBI record? Dempsey needs nine RBI (I think - Midwest still hasn't reported the boxscore from Sunday's game) to tie the league record of 100 RBI set by Kalamazoo's Pete Pirman in 2005.

4. Will there be retaliation against Florence? Washington and Florence had a benches-clearing incident during their last series, played in July at Champion Window Field. The incident happened after a home run by Washington's Ernie Banks. Florence manager Toby Rumfield left the dugout and knocked Washington first-base coach Jon Cahill to the ground with a forearm shiver. Rumfield was suspended for five games. If there is going to be retaliation by the Wild Things, you'd think there would be no better time than the final series of the year, right? If you're not going to return to the league next year, then it doesn't matter if you get suspended, right?

5. What will the attendance be? The Wild Things are on the verge of finishing with their worst year, not only on the field but at the gate as well. They could, however, exceed last year's per-game attendance but that will be a difficult task because mid-week games after school has started never draw well.

6. Will Washington again be kind to Chuck Tiffany? You probably have never head of Chuck Tiffany, but the left-handed pitcher for Florence etched his name in the city's baseball lore in 1999 when he led Covina, Calif., to the Pony League World Series championship. Tiffany turned in perhaps the best world series performance by any player. He tied a series record with five home runs, including three in one game, and tied the record for wins (3) in a series. In the championship game against Chinese Taipei, Tiffany pitched a two-hitter, struck out 13 and hit two home runs. He went on to become a top-5 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system (he threw a no-hitter in the minors) before a shoulder injury derailed his career. Now with the Freedom, Tiffany has a 4-2 record. There is a chance Tiffany might pitch the Friday night game.

In search of ...

I come here today in search of an honest man. Who among us predicted at the beginning of the season that, on Aug. 12, Jacob Dempsey would be leading the league with two inside-the-park home runs and have as many triples as Chris Sidick?

I don't see any hands.

Wild Things shine at All-Star Game

The Wild Things had a big impact on the 2009 Frontier League All-Star game Wednesday night at Road Ranger Stadium in Loves Park, Ill.

Washington's Grant Psomas and Jacob Dempsey each hit a home run and Wild Things reliever Nick Peterson was the winning pitcher as the East All-Stars defeated the West, 5-2.

Florence's Ryan Basham, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player, broke a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning. Psomas, who won the Home Run Derby on Tuesday night, then made it back-to-back homers for the East. Psomas' blast gave came on the first pitch he saw from Rockford's Tanner Watson, the winningest active pitcher in the Frontier League.

After a hit by Lake Erie's Luke Hetherington in the top of the seventh, Dempsey worked the count to 3-2 before hitting a two-run homer to give the East a 5-0 lead.

The West scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Peterson pitched a perfect fifth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Dempsey added to all-star team

Washington designated hitter Jacob Dempsey has been added to the East Division roster for the Frontier League All-Star game next week at Rockford. Dempsey was one of three players added to the team by East manager Fran Riordan of Kalamazoo.

Dempsey is batting .290 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the Wild Things' 8-2 victory last night over Southern Illinois.

Dempsey will join teammates Grant Psomas and Nick Peterson in the all-star game.

With Southern Illinois in town for the series finale tonight, I thought it was a good idea to throw in this tidbit: Clay Zavada, who pitched last year for Southern Illinois when the Miners played at Consol Energy Park, earned his second win of the season Wednesday when he pitched a perfect inning of relief in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 6-2 victory over the San Diego Padres. Zavada, I believe, is the only player to go from the FL to the majors in less than one year.

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.

4 returnees, 2 newcomers, 1 retiree

The Wild Things announced several signings today and one retirement, which clears up the L2 roster problem.

Signing contracts for the 2009 season were shortstop Brett Grandstrand, designated hitter Jacob Dempsey (pictured), outfielder Tim Alberts and second baseman Chris Carrara. The Wild Things also announced the signing of two rookie pitchers, Brian Honeyman and Michael Mondesir, and that first baseman Nathan Messner has retired.

Grandstrand returns for his third season in Washington after posting career highs in batting average (.295), at-bats (295), runs (48), hits (87), home runs (4), RBI (47), and stolen bases (13). Grandstrand, who I consider best defensive shortstop in the Frontier League, has spent time in the Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay farm systems.

Grandstrand is currently the head baseball coach at Ringgold High School.

Dempsey was Washington's top offensive player last year and a league all-star. He hit .310 last season and led the league in games played (96), doubles (31), and RBI (88). He finished second in extra base hits (52) and fourth in total bases (203), walks (67) and on base percentage (.422). Dempsey's 31 doubles is a Wild Things single-season record, and his 88 RBI tied for the team record (Mike Arbinger 2005).

Carrara and Dempsey were teammates at Winthrop University and will be together for a second season in Washington. Carrara had a strong second half of the 2008 campaign and finished the year with a .285 batting average and 19 stolen bases.

Alberts also finished strong after signing with the Wild Things at midseason out of Niagara University. As a right fielder and DH, Alberts batted .289 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI. He hit nine home runs at Consol Energy Park. Only a handful of players have hit that many home runs at CEP in half a season.

Honeyman and Mondesir have no pro experience. Honeyman was the East Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2008 at NCAA Division II Queens (NY) College. During his senior season, Honeyman had a 6-0 record with three saves and a 2.20 ERA. Mondesir joins the Wild Things from Division II Dominican (NY) College, where he led all D2 pitchers with a 1.12 ERA and 5.3 hits allowed per game last season. he had a 6-2 record.

Messner was a Frontier League All-Star in 2007. He appeared in 80 games last
season, batting .261 with 21 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, and
47 RBI.

The re-signing of Dempsey and Messner's retirement means the Wild Things will likely begin the season with Dempsey and closer Jonathan Lewis as their two L2 players and go with three Veterans and seven L1s.

An updated roster will be posted later.