As the offseason goes, my travel for the TinCaps is a little less time-consuming and not quite as distant as it is during the season. You may know that the Midwest League has 16 teams and that we’ll travel as far east as Eastlake, Ohio, as far south as Bowling Green, Kentucky, as far north as Appleton, Wisconsin, and as far west as Cedar Rapids, Iowa. About as far as I may travel for a speaking engagement this offseason (unless Cooperstown has any openings) is Bryan, Ohio, to talk to the Bryan Kiwanis Club. They’re a great group and they’ve graciously had me as their guest each of the last two years to talk about the TinCaps. What makes visiting there so special is that it’s the home town of one of the best players in recent TinCaps history, Matt Wisler.

He starred here as a 19-year-old (and eventually 20-year-old) in 2012, and then moved his way up to Advanced-A and eventually Double-A during the 2013 season. His numbers were phenomenal at both levels, and during an August interview I did with Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes, he told me that Wisler will come into spring training next year with a chance to make the MLB roster, which is pretty remarkable considering Wisler’s age.

During my visit to Bryan a few weeks ago, Matt was kind enough to join me at the podium and speak about his experiences this past spring and summer:

I will forgive him for wearing a San Antonio Missions polo shirt! Matt talked to the group of about 50 people about his season and how he developed both on and off the field.

During the 2012 season, Wisler went 5-4 with a 2.53 ERA in 114 innings. He struck out 113 and walked only 28, working to a 1.079 WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched). In 2013, he was 10-6 with a 2.78 ERA in 136 innings. He struck out 131 batters while walking 33 and had a 1.067 WHIP.

I chatted a bit with Matt about his 2013 season, during which he received an earlier-than-expected promotion from Advanced-A Lake Elsinore to San Antonio, his progress in attacking hitters, the difference between Low-A and Double-A, and what he perceives his next step in the organization to be. Here are the highlights:

It’s All Relative: How was your 2013 season?

Matt Wisler: It was a good year. I enjoyed it. Staring in High-A was nice getting out there to California and working with those coaches. I had a pretty good month. I only gave up three runs my first month, I think. Then I messed up pretty bad in my last start and gave up four runs.  Then I went to Double-A and struggled there early. My first start wasn’t terrible, but my second start was really bad. I gave up five (runs) in the first inning. That was the worst start I’ve had as a professional. Then I had one good outing of seven shutout (innings) and then I think I struggled a few more (starts) after that and finally figured it out in June. I had a good June, July and August. JJ (Jimmy Jones), the pitching coach in Double-A, was huge for me this year, just as much as Willie Blair was last year. He was more mental than physical; we did some physical tweaks here and there. Staying even keel was definitely big for me. Instead of over-throwing early and losing velocity late, he helped me to stay under control. With him, he had a mentality of striking guys out and going right after them. That was a good mindset to have as well. Winning the championship was really fun. I definitely enjoyed that experience.

IAR: What was your reaction to going up from High-A to Double-A?

MW: It was really good especially because I had a bad start beforehand. I was so excited to get to Double-A. You figure (you’ll get promoted) after you have a run of good starts, and then I had that bad one, and it was after that start I got called up.

IAR: What expectations did you have out of spring training?

MW: I thought if I had a pretty good first half of the season I could get up there (Double-A) by the All-Star break like what (Justin) Hancock did in Fort Wayne. I figured it would be a two or three month thing, but it was great to go earlier and get pretty much a full year of experience up there.

IAR: What is level of play like at Double-A?

MW: It’s definitely different. You can see it in the pitchers, mostly. It goes from High-A and Low-A where (pitchers) only have a fastball and not too much off-speed. Once you get to Double-A guys can locate every pitch, they mix speeds a lot better. You can see it in our hitters that guys are off balance a lot more. You’ll get a 2-0 changeup or a 2-0 curveball and guys just know how to throw it for strikes. Even 3-2 they get a lot more off-speed pitches. The hitters were just a lot better. They can all hit a fastball so if you miss a fastball, they’re going to get it. Learning how to locate my off-speeds a little better is big. I’ve got to learn how to get a 0-0 curveball over more consistently. With my slider when I first got there, guys were not chasing. When I first got there,  I was still pitching the normal way—get ahead with a fastball and finish with an off-speed. I had to learn how to get ahead with an off-speed and maybe come back with a fastball or finish it off with a slider. I had to make the slider a “chaseable pitch” where I start it more over the plate so guys see it longer and have it break late. That was definitely a big adjustment for me as well.

IAR: What did you think of the comments made about you by Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes?

MW: It’s exciting knowing I have a chance going in. I have a lot of drive. Next year  is a huge year for me. It’ll be my first full chance where I really have a chance to get up there.  I can’t wait to start getting work in this off-season. I’m excited to see how I’ll do against big-league hitters. I’ve never really faced them consistently so I’m excited to get out there and at least see what I’ve got.

IAR: Given that the Padres don’t have the payroll to be big spenders in free agency and tend to build their MLB team from within their ranks, do you feel like it might have taken you longer to move up quickly if you were in a different organization?

MW: I don’t know. I guess it’s a matter of me and how I keep pitching or what they see in my progression. If they have something they want me to work on before I get there, it’s pretty much depending on that. Anytime they call me, I definitely think I’ll be ready to go. It’s just a matter of when they think I’m fully prepared and ready.

IAR: What did you think of the Padres trading (2012 TinCaps teammate and 2013 Missions teammate) Matt Stites?

MW: That was pretty crazy because he’d just had that appendectomy and I knew he was going home anyway. (Stites had been placed on the disabled list toward the end of the season.) I picked him up and I was taking him to get his pills two days after his surgery when he got the call (from Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes). It was kind of shocking. You forget it’s a business and we’re not gonna have him next year, so I’ll have to find a new roommate.

IAR: What are your plans for the winter?

MW: I’ll start working out 4-5 days a week until spring training. Weightlifting for now and I’ll start throwing with (Defiance, Ohio, native Justin) Hancock in December and I’ll start to hit since next year I’ll start to hit a little bit more.

Thanks to Matt for taking the time out of his day to speak not only with me, but also with the Bryan Kiwanis club. We’ll be keeping an eye on Matt as spring training rolls around next year.

———-

MUSICAL GUEST

Eve 6…take it away!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

With the busy weekends of K105′s CountryFest, 98.9 The Bear’s Birthday Bash and Fort4Fitness behind us all at Parkview Field, some of the front office members of the TinCaps embarked on a weekend of their own, driving from the Summit City down to Cumberland, Maryland, for the Ragnar Relay, a nearly 200-mile trek by foot from Maryland into Washington, D.C., and it was probably busier than all of the previous weekends had been combined.

If you’re not familiar with what the Ragnar Relay is, which I wasn’t when I was asked to join the team early in the season, it’s a race run by teams of 12 (or six if you’re looking for a crazy challenge) in which every person runs three legs of varying difficulty. The team is split into two vans (1 and 2) and while one van is busy running, the other van rests and eats. This goes on for anywhere between 24-36 hours depending on how fast your team is. Our group finished in about 31 hours. For the 12 of us (9 current TinCaps employees, 1 former, and 2 spouses) this was our first Ragnar, so we’d done a lot of reading about what to expect but weren’t really sure how it would all play out. Boy, was it ever exciting, tiring, exhilarating, draining and ultimately worthwhile. I’d say the best suggestion anyone made was to bring gallon Ziploc bags in which to store your sweaty clothes once you finished your run. Definitely a good call…for everyone’s sake if you know what I mean!

The legs that I ran were 5.8 miles, 5.0 and 2.2 miles, relatively easy compared to some of the eight and nine-mile treks that my teammates had, not to mention the ridiculous uphill climbs they endured. While I don’t consider myself a runner, I enjoyed the experience to the fullest, more so for the camaraderie of the whole thing than anything else. You could be running in the middle of the day with a heat index of 99 degrees, or at 2 AM as I did for my second leg, traversing through country roads and suburban neighborhoods all in a five-mile span. For the night runs every runner was required to wear a reflective safety vest, and blinking light and a headlamp, which wasn’t quite as cumbersome to run with as I thought it would’ve been.

The toughest part was the lack of sleep throughout the weekend. Even though as my van switched off from being the active group on the course, with all that it took to drive to the next exchange point and then changing into new clothes, combined with the preparation for the upcoming run and chatting with the other van about how everything was going, I got maybe four or five hours of sleep over the entire race.

Although technically teams are competing against one another, the entire feeling of of the weekend was a positive one, with teams from the other 315(!) vans cheering their running mates on. Vans would drive by me while I was running and I’d hear, “Good job, runner!”, “Keep it up!”, “Almost there!”, which was nice to hear toward the end of a near six-mile trip. Our group, Team IronCaps (like IronMan, but TinCaps themed) had runners of all skill levels, so we weren’t running for time, but rather for fun. The front of our shirts, which you can see above, says “RUN FTW” similar to the RUN DMC logo, except better, of course. (Big thanks to TinCaps Creative Director Tony DesPlaines for putting those graphics together.) When spending that much time with people in close quarters and sweaty clothes, you learn a lot more about people than you ever expected (or wanted) to, but I think it was great from a work perspective to get a closer bond with people in the office. During the baseball season I’m either in the press box or on the road and don’t get to spend as much time with my co-workers as I’d like, so this was a great bonding experience, too.

Another aspect of the Ragnar was the fitness incentives it provides. I remember back when April turned into May and the TinCaps had nearly a full day off in Peoria, Illinois, after a rain out in Burlington, Iowa. I was sitting in the hotel with nothing to do, knowing that this race was on the calendar for October (which seemed light years away at that point), and figured I’d give running a shot. I did run four years of cross country in high school, but never particularly enjoyed running. (Side note: I joined the high school cross country team by accident. Yes, by accident. My mother told me that the track team was looking for new runners and that my friend, John, was already on the team. Well, she was 0-for-2. Not only was in the cross country team and not the track team, but it was my friend John’s older brother, Bobby, who was on the team. So I joined not knowing anyone and never having run distance in my life. Thanks, Mom.) I did eventually get my friends to join and I enjoyed their company, but not the workouts. As I tried that day in Peoria to get back into running, I felt a miserable failure. I couldn’t run for more than 10 minutes without my shins hurting, my iPod playlist sucking, my breath disappearing and my hope fading. I thought I’d never make it.

Throughout the course of the summer and baseball season, I faced a daily battle: sacrifice a little bit of sleep after a 12 or 13-hour day at the ballpark or succumb to the glory that is the extra hour of sleep. Most days I gave in to the latter, but on the days that I did run, I was able to keep building my endurance and my distance. I ran in my own neighborhood, at Salomon Farm Park and at Swinney Park, trying to find a mix of familiar routes and new ones to keep the experience fresh. Hearing stories from my co-workers/teammates about their runs helped provide me with the necessary motivation to keep waking up early and trying to become a better runner. Like I said, I still don’t consider myself a runner (some of my teammates run every day), but I do feel a sense of accomplishment after this weekend. I’d never run 13 miles in such a short span, and am happy that I have that under my belt. Now the task is keeping up the fitness regimen moving forward, which I definitely plan on doing.

Here are a few more shots from the race:

If you ever have the chance to run a race like this, I highly recommend it. It’s a blast.

THE LATEST FROM THE PADRES IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

While there was running to be done on the East Coast, there’s baseball being played in the Dominican Republic. Last time we heard from infielder Maxx Tissenbaum about his experiences, and this time we’ll check in with perhaps a future TinCaps infielder, Ossian’s own Josh VanMeter, who is blogging his experiences for The Journal Gazette:

“First, let’s start with the weather. My only two words I really have for it is holy humidity. The thick air just drains the life out of you when you are out on the fields in the middle of the day. That’s has been a huge adjustment for me, especially coming form Arizona, where I spent my whole summer.

Secondly, just the culture of the island is so different. I have quickly learned that there is no way I would want to drive a car down here. It is absolute madness. I don’t think these people have ever heard of turn signals, and people must not see the red light cause they run through them like it’s their job.

Also, I have learned that the food is totally different than in America. Everything just has a slightly different taste. Early in the first week I had to revert to just eating my food as fast as I can, because some things just don’t taste very good. However, things are starting to taste a little better as I am beginning to get used to the food.

One of the big positives of being here, though, is that there is a beach down the road that is about a ten minute walk. It has really helped me work on my tan, because as a lot of baseball players know, the farmer’s tan is unreal right now.”

It could be worse, Josh. You might not be tan at all!

As for Tissenbaum, he recently wrote about some of the community service that the Padres are having their players do while in the Dominican Republic:

“Here I was, a Canadian kid standing in the middle of a Dominican school yard, holding court with a bunch of 12 year old peloteros.  I told the friend I was a second baseman and a shortstop before becoming a catcher, and they both seemed a little confused (I wasn’t sure if they were confused as to how a big lumbering gringo could play the infield, or as to how a middle infielder becomes a catcher).  We exchanged a few more quick baseball questions and answers and then it was time to leave.

As I walked back to the bus I felt so incredibly happy that I had been able to go in there and feel comfortable with the native language.  I was extremely proud of all of the guys for putting in a really great effort with the kids, because going into the day I wasn’t sure how many guys were totally committed and on board with the idea of community service.  Hell, I wasn’t really on board before I left, but when I got here and started to hear about the different activities I started to warm up to the idea.  It was awesome to see the English and Spanish speaking players really come together to help a common cause, the school kids.  It was very cool to see guys who normally exist in almost two entirely separate universes interacting to try and help one another figure out just how to get the job done.As I sat down on the bus I thought back to a conversation I had at the end of 9th grade at Crescent with my friend, and at the time, line-mate Robbie Mitchnick.  We were going through our course selection for 10th grade and I had the choice between taking French and Spanish.  I had always been good in French class so I quickly “bubbled” it in on the selection card.  Robbie saw me do it and immediately stopped me and told me “you’re a baseball player. What are you going to do when your middle infield partner is a Spanish speaker and you can’t communicate. You’re taking Spanish with me.”  I laughed and semi ignored the advice at first, but he insisted and eventually I erased the bubble beside 10th grade French and colored in the bubble beside 10th grade Spanish.  Having been on teams with over 50% of the guys being Spanish speakers I can’t thank him enough for making sure I took Spanish.  It has truly been a blessing to be able to communicate with those guys, and the kids at that school earlier this week.  I’ve been able to trade stories and make friends with my Latin American teammates in a way that a lot of other guys haven’t.  I’ve learned a lot about their lives, and the total difference in the two worlds we live in when we aren’t together on the baseball field.”

I talked with a friend of mine in the Padres front office who made the trip to the D.R., and he said it was an eye-opening experience for him, too. None of us from the United States can really picture where the players come from or the type of poverty they grow up with, he said. An important aspect to consider, he also mentioned, was that the players there don’t grow up with the organized structure of baseball we have here–little league, high school baseball, college baseball–so they miss out on lots of instruction, and they don’t get to regularly watch baseball on TV like we do. When the players show up in front of us at Parkview Field or other ballparks around the country, our expectations of them are the same as the American players–to perform at a high level. It sounds like this trip has been great on so many levels to help understand not just the foreign baseball culture of the D.R., but also where so many of the non-American players in MiLB and MLB come from.

MUSICAL GUEST

J. Roddy Walston and The Business…take it away!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Greetings and Salutations, TinCaps fans of America!

Checking in from the corner of Ewing and Brackenridge, here’s an update at what’s going on in the world of TinCaps baseball. Since the season ended on September 9th, most players have returned home but some have shipped out to Instructional League, less formally known as “instructs”. It’s a chance for players to get more formal instruction than they do during the regular season, where on-field drills can only take place a few hours a day.

While instructs is usually held at the Padres facility in Peoria, Arizona, this year it’s being held in the Dominican Republic due to ongoing renovations at the Arizona facility. Corey Brock, the Padres beat reporter for MLB.com, wrote a feature on the camp’s temporary move and the role reversal it’ll present for English-speaking players traveling out of the country.

“It was born out of necessity, but one of the benefits of it is it will be a fantastic experience, baseball and otherwise, for everyone involved,” said Randy Smith, the Padres’ vice president of player development and international scouting.

“We will have everyone at the complex all day, we’ll be able to work with them and then we’ll also get them out to do some work in the community. We want to make this something they’ll remember. And they’ll get to see where many of their teammates come from.”

Most of the players are still in the lower levels of the Padres’ system, including two of the Padres former first-round Draft picks, left-handed pitcher Max Fried (2012) and outfielder Hunter Renfroe (2013).

Fried is considered the Padres’ top prospect, according to MLB.com. Renfroe comes in at No. 8.

Under Smith and his staff, the Padres have been out front on bridging the gap between Latin American players and their American counterparts. The team offered English language classes for players, which isn’t unusual, but has actually offered Spanish classes for staff and coaches to help communicate with players.

Now the Padres are taking many of their top prospects, roving instructors and coaches to their facility in Najayo, San Cristobal, to their 15-acre complex, which opened in 2008 at a cost of $8 million.

For many of the American-born players, this will be the first trip out of the country. That holds true for 18-year-old infielder Josh Van Meter, who was drafted in the fifth round this past June. Van Meter has only been to his native Indiana, Arizona and Florida before now.

“It’s going to be a humbling experience. A great experience, not just for baseball but culturally as well,” said Van Meter, who is from Ossian, Ind. “We ask the Dominican guys to come to America, now we get to see what their life is like.

“I think that that we grow up in a pretty good environment compared to a lot of those guys. It will show us what they have to go through to get here.”

According to Smith’s Twitter account, Van Meter, who could be in a TinCaps uniform next season, was hitting leadoff in the first instructional league game.

The Dominican Academy the Padres have serves as a crucial tool in trying to develop future Major League talent, and it’s an asset that not every Major League Baseball team has. It’s even more important for a team like San Diego to have this type of resource, since they can’t be big players in the free agent market every offseason.

What seems like a great experience, as Smith and VanMeter said, is for the English-speaking players to get to travel to the Dominican Republic and understand where many of their teammates come from. We rarely pause to consider how difficult it is for Spanish-speaking players to come to the United States and try to immerse themselves in our culture, all while trying to become better baseball players.

2013 TinCaps second-baseman Maxx Tissenbaum is at instructs this year and is in the process of being transitioned into a catcher. Last fall Tissenbaum was being auditioned at the corner infield spots, but he dropped weight during the winter with a strict dietary regimen and workout plan, and saw time at both shortstop and second this season.

He keeps a regular blog at Maxx54Padres.wordpress.com, and he’s started to chronicle his experiences down in the Dominican Republic.

First, I should show you this picture because the facility looks like it’s in a pretty scenic area. Please note the water on the horizon of the picture. (all photos credited to Maxx Tissenbaum):

Here are a few excerpts from his most recent post:

“It was weird seeing the guys I’ve worked with for the longest time head out one way while I lumbered up a hill in gear to the bullpen.  I took the third mound in and settled in behind the plate as the pitchers walked over and slowly picked a mound to throw off of.  Somehow with all the guys I knew, both English and Spanish speaking, I ended up catching a kid I’ve never met before and a guy who speaks extremely limited English.  Afterward I asked Bryan Rodriguez what the kids name was and found out it was Jaimito Lebron.  He threw hard and relatively straight which was nice considering it was the first time I’d ever been in an environment where a line of pitchers fired balls to the catchers a la a firing squad.”

…

“I caught Bryan Rodriguez, one of the guys from Fort Wayne, and the only pitcher who specifically wanted to throw to me, albeit for a strange reason.  Ever since he found out I was going to catch, B-Rod has wanted to throw to me to see if he could “break you thumb,” as he says.  B-Rod throws hard and has natural arm side run, which is a pitch catchers can get in trouble with if they don’t rotate their wrist properly, its the pitch we get our thumbs jammed on.  I managed to remember to roll my wrist and he was unsuccessful in his quest to break my thumb, but when he finished he came over and shook my hand (all bullpens finish this way) and gave me a pat on the shoulder and told me “good job man. You good as catcher.”  I was pretty happy to hear that from a guy who had a very solid year in FW, and seems to be on the rise in our system.

After practice today all of the “American” (yes I throw myself in there, it’s more just the English speaking group) guys headed to the beach.  Vladimir De La Cruz and Wilmer Santos acted as our local guides and came with us.  De La walked us through the small village right near our complex, and I was amazed by the way we just sort of walked through the local peoples lives, we got to be in their world for the half an hour as we passed through.  We saw children playing in the dirt, men playing cards and drinking outside of the little bodegas, and people just hanging around listening to music with nowhere to go and nothing to do.” 

Although this re-location was born out of geographic necessity, I think it’s a great move by the Padres to bring players to the Dominican Republic to help foster a sense of empathy between teammates. English-speaking players will begin to learn more Spanish and will understand where their teammates grew up, while Spanish-speaking players will enjoy sharing their culture and the fact that their teammates now have to learn their language. I’m looking forward to more dispatches from Maxx over the next month.

Elsewhere in prospect-land…

Baseball America has released its list of the 2013 Top 20 Midwest League Prospects (you will need a subscription to read it) and the TinCaps were represented well with Max Fried (8), Zach Eflin (11) and Joe Ross (14). Even though you need to be a subscriber to read the whole piece, here’s what BA said on all of the Padres guys:

Fried

Fort Wayne boasted the most talented rotation in the league with four starters who are solid prospects. A 6-foot-4 lefthander, Fried has the highest upside of the four and he also may be the closest to the majors as well.

A high school teammate of Nationals righthander Lucas Giolito, Fried has a plus fastball that sits 91-93 mph and touches 95. His curveball was one of the best in the league and his changeup shows flashes of being an average pitch. He had the second-best strikeout rate among MWL starters at 7.6 per nine innings.

“I don’t think he’ll take long. He’ll shoot through the minors,” a second AL scout said. “He doesn’t have all that much to work on.”

Eflin

Fried stood head and shoulders above the other pitchers in the Fort Wayne rotation, but Eflin might have been No. 2. Scouts were undecided. He combines a plus fastball with an above-average changeup and better feel than Joe Ross—though Ross has better pure stuff.

Eflin doesn’t show plus velocity as consistently as Ross, but at 88-94 mph, he has more than enough velo and he touched 97 in the past. His ability to sink, cut and run his fastball makes it an even more effective pitch. His changeup was one of the best in the league, with excellent arm speed that sells the deception. His breaking ball is an effective chase pitch, but he’ll have to prove he can throw it for strikes more often and keep it from getting too loopy.

Ross

Where Eflin likes to manipulate his fastball’s movement to get out of jam, Ross is more likely to simply hump up and throw a little harder. That run-through-a-wall approach leads some scouts to see Ross as a power reliever, but others see a future mid-rotation starter.

Ross’ 92-97 mph fastball is a plus pitch. He does a good job of getting downward plane on his fastball and working down in the zone, though it’s more of a pitch that generates groundballs than swings and misses presently.

Ross, whose older brother Tyson pitches in the majors for the Padres, matches that with a slider that shows good bite at its best and could end up as a plus pitch, but he also sometimes flattens the pitch out to where it has more of a cutting action. His changeup is less developed and adds to questions about whether he can stick as a starter. He also has to prove he can maintain his stuff deep into starts.

While I don’t agree that Fried stood out “head and shoulders” above the rest of the rotation, I think the rest of the assessments are pretty accurate. That’s not to take anything away from Fried, either; I just don’t think any pitcher was the clear ace for the duration of the season. Statistically speaking, Eflin had the best second half of any pitcher on the team with a 2.13 ERA and 42 strikeouts with 13 walks in 63.1 innings compared to Fried’s 3.38 ERA, 50K and 27BB in 64 innings.

Elsewhere, MadFriars, a Padres blog, named its player and prospect of the year for the TinCaps and surprisingly, there wasn’t a pitcher named to either spot. The player of the year? Alberth Martinez. And the top prospect (by majority decision)? Rodney Daal.

“MadFriars’ 2013 Fort Wayne TinCaps Player of the Year: Alberth Martinez

Top Prospect: Rodney Daal - David Jay and Ben Davey

Martinez is more likely to reach the majors – his versatility and defensive skills in the outfield make his path clearer – but Daal has a special bat that could help him be a better big-leaguer, if he gets there. The 19-year-old will need to put in the work to be able to stay behind the plate, but he has the tools to do it. As he gets more advanced coaching on footwork, his strong arm will play better in games. Watch for him to put up some impressive numbers in the Cal League as the Storm’s everyday catcher in 2014.”

On a traveling note, I made my first-ever visits to both Ohio State and Penn State to call volleyball for Big Ten Network. Here are a few shots:

That’s all for now. More news as it comes in, of course.

I’m headed to Bryan, Ohio, Wednesday afternoon to speak to their Kiwanis Club, and I’m expecting to see 2012 TinCaps pitcher Matt Wisler, who just won a Texas League Championship with the San Antonio Missions.

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Although the TinCaps fell short in their pursuit of a second Midwest League title, the San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the Padres, were successful in their quest for a Texas League title. The crown was the second for the franchise in three years and their third since 2007, when they began their affiliation with the Padres. This year’s Missions team was full of former TinCaps players, which helped fuel their ascent to the top of the league.

According to MiLB.com:

“They led the league with a 3.19 ERA, 50 saves, a .256 batting average and 171 stolen bases. No team hit fewer homers (85) or allowed fewer homers (93) than San Antonio.

And during their 10-game playoff run, the Missions allowed a total of 22 runs.”

Starting with the coaching staff, there were two former TinCaps there: hitting coach Jacque Jones, who was in Fort Wayne in 2012, and coach Chris Fetter, who played for the TinCaps in both in 2009 as a 23-year-old and in 2012 as a 26-year-old, and went into coaching this season.

Perhaps the names that are freshest in our minds are those players who were in Fort Wayne in 2012, like Matt Wisler, Austin Hedges, Lee Orr, Yeison Asencio and James Needy. Among these five, Wisler had the best season of all. He began the season in the California League, but only lasted all of six starts after posting a 2-1 record with a 2.03 ERA. In 31 innings he struck out 28 and walked six. At Double-A he made 20 regular-season starts and in 105 innings struck out 103 while walking 27.

In the playoffs, Wisler went 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA (1ER in 16IP), allowed five hits, walked five and struck out 13.  Wow. He was the winning pitcher in game one of the championship series and pitched three innings of relief in game five to help close the deal. That was just the second time in Wisler’s career that he made an appearance out of the bullpen.

Hedges, like Wisler, began the season at Lake Elsinore. Anyone who’s paid any attention to the Padres farm system knows that Hedges is expected to speed through the ranks as one of the top catching prospects in all of Minor League Baseball. In 66 games with the Storm he hit .270 with four home runs and 30 runs batted in, and he moved to San Antonio in August, batting .224 with eight runs batted in over 20 games. He threw out 37% of baserunners at High-A and 18% at Double-A.

Let’s keep in mind that Wisler just turned 21 (September 12th) and Hedges is in the same boat, having turned 21 in August.

Meanwhile, Needy, the last of the pitchers, was only added to the Double-A roster at the beginning of the postseason on September 4th. He pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief and allowed one earned run. That advancement was a positive step for the 22-year-old Needy, who went 10-5 on a team that only won 61 games for the entire season. He also saw his innings take a nice bump up to 134 after pitching 95 1/3 innings the year before (87 1/3 of those in Fort Wayne).

Orr, who took over first base duties in May of 2012 for the TinCaps, held the same spot for Lake Elsinore from opening day until August 8th, his last day in a Storm uniform. In the California League (70 games) he hit .276 with 17 doubles, 10 homers, and 30 runs batted in. He saw action in 19 games with the Missions and hit .226 (14-62).

Another pitcher who helped the Missions stay alive in the playoffs was 2010 TinCaps pitcher Juan Oramas. In game four of the Texas League Championship Series, Oramas tossed six shutout innings and struck out seven, helping San Antonio force a decisive game five.

In that same game, with the Missions leading, 3-0, 2012 TinCaps rightfielder Yeison Asencio hit a bases-clearing triple to make it a 6-0 game. San Antonio hung on and won, 6-5. After winning the Midwest League batting title in ’12, Asencio  hit .296 in the California League before earning a promotion to Double-A, where he played in 74 games and hit .261. During the post-season he was the league’s top hitter, going 14-36 (.389).

Here’s a list of other former TinCaps and their regular season/post-season stat lines this year at San Antonio:

Eddie Bonine (2004) 4-3, 3.76 ERA/1-1, 0.60 ERA, 15IP, 5BB, 6K

Matt Branham (2010, 2011) 4-2, 2.61 ERA/1-0, 2.70 ERA, 3.1IP, 5K, 1BB

Jose de Paula (2010) 4-6, 3.86 ERA/DNP

Josh Geer (2005, 2006) 8-5, 3.41 ERA/2-0, 1.64 ERA, 11IP, 9K, 1BB

Jeff Ibarra (2010, 2011) 3-1, 5.88 ERA/ 1.1 IP

Matt Lollis (2010) 1-3, 6.28 ERA/1.0IP, 1K

Jeremy McBryde (2008, 2010) 4-4, 2.35 ERA/0-1, 4.76 ERA, 5.2IP, 9K, 1BB

Rocky Gale (2011) .246, 1HR, 22 RBI/4-20, RBI

Jake Blackwood (2011) .259, 7HR, 61 RBI/8-37, 4 RBI

Cory Spangenberg (2011) .289, 2 HR, 20 RBI/11-44, 1 RBI

Jeudy Valdez (2009, 2010) .251, 10HR, 49 RBI/4-35

Rico Noel (2010, 2011) .266, 0HR, 41 RBI/11-43, 1 RBI

Everett Williams (2010, 2011) .257, 2HR, 31 RBI/0-6

MEANWHILE, IN TUCSON…

The Padres’ Triple-A affiliate was located in Portland, Oregon, from 2001 until 2010 as the Portland Beavers, and then was forced to relocate to Tucson, Arizona, on a temporary basis for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons. Well, the Tucson Padres three-year run has come to a close…maybe. The franchise was purchased in 2012 by MountainStar Sports Group, which now plans to move the team to El Paso, Texas.

The latest word in the situation is that the Padres could spend another year in Tucson if everything doesn’t go according to plan. Here’s more from the Arizona Daily Star:

The owners of the minor league baseball team, El Paso-based MountainStar Sports Group, have extended their contract with Pima County to use the Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium for another season.

The $70,000 contract, approved by the Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, gives the yet-to-be-renamed Triple A team the option to play in Tucson for another season if their new stadium in El Paso isn’t ready for spring training.

The team was supposed to have played its “final” game in Tucson last Thursday.

The MountainStar Sports Group was already on the hook for $35,000 with the Pima County Sports & Tourism Authority, the built-in cost for not renewing last year’s contract.

He wouldn’t rule out the possibility the team could play in Tucson next year, at least for a few games, but said such a decision is several months away.

That said, things in El Paso are well underway. You can see the full extend of the operation at ElPasoTripleA.com. That’s one to keep our eyes on.

LOTS HAPPENING AT PARKVIEW FIELD

Here’s the setup at Parkview Field, which hosted a baseball game just 12 days ago, for K105′s Country Fest 2013, scheduled to take place tomorrow night:

The TinCaps staff has spent the last few days laying down the flooring for the concert, and the stage/sound/everything else workers have been busy today preparing the setup for the performers. The Journal Gazette wrote a piece on the concert in today’s paper:

“CountryFest marks a transition for the festival, which has been held at Headwaters Park since its inaugural year in 2008.

The concert is sold out, which breaks the attendance record for the festival and for a single-day event at Parkview Field.

David Michaels, program director of WQHK K105FM, says the festival has come full circle as platinum recording artist Gary Allan headlines the festival for the second time.

Singer-songwriter Craig Morgan and country duo Love and Theft will be featured acts, along with Katie Arminger, Bill Gentry and Charlie Worsham.

…

Mike Nutter, president of the Fort Wayne TinCaps, says the ballpark was designed to be a multifunctional facility and accommodate events other than baseball games. When Parkview Field opened in 2009, the venue was used for one concert that year, followed by two more concerts in 2010 and the Bob Dylan concert last year.

…

“A lot of work went into the design so that we could do this. A good goal for us is to have two or three major shows a year,” he says.

“We purchased $100,000 worth of flooring for concerts, which helps keep our field in good shape. It’s a little unique.”

Nutter says Parkview Field also offers a convenient location, close to a number of downtown locales for dining and shopping before and after events. He says once people visit for one event, the venue tends to win over people who wouldn’t consider themselves baseball fans.

“I’m a baseball guy, but things are changing. We’re attracting over 100,000 people with activities that have nothing to do with baseball. It helps (keep) the field rocking year-round,” he says.”

The ballpark will also host 98.9 The Bear’s Birthday Bash on Sunday (another concert) and Fort4Fitness, a road race with more than 10,000 runners the following weekend. Just because baseball is over at Parkview Field doesn’t mean that things are quiet!

MUSICAL GUEST

Gary Allan…take it away!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

With the TinCaps facing elimination in South Bend last week, I wondered to myself what my emotions would be like when the season officially ended. Would I be upset? Would I be relieved? Would I feel anything at all?

When the last out was recorded last Monday night at Coveleski Stadium, I felt more or less numb. On one hand, I had wanted to see this team win a championship (and, selfishly, wanted the experience of calling a few more games). At the same time, however, now I’d have a chance to go home to see my family and friends, most of whom I hadn’t seen since Christmas time.

It wasn’t until a few hours after the game when I finally felt something. You know, that something-in-your-stomach kind of feeling. I’d say it’s a feeling I often associate with realizing that something good, something you’ve been fortunate to have, has run its course, and you just have to accept it. In this case, it hit me when we got back to Parkview Field at about 1:00 a.m. and all the players and staff began to clear out their lockers in the clubhouse.

After seeing many of these guys on a daily basis for the last five-plus months, it dawned on me that I may never have the chance to see any of them again. Like ever. They don’t know where they’ll be assigned next year and I have even less of an idea where I’ll be.

The relationship for me as a broadcaster with the players/staff is far different from the relationships they have with each other. The bond isn’t comparable. But nevertheless, these are people – something I think too many fans forget, especially when we’re talking about major league athletes and “big time” college athletes – with stories you’ve gotten to know, and tell. People with personalities you’ve gotten to witness, and describe. People, who, for lack of a more poetic way of putting it, are just likeable, good people. And who doesn’t like likeable, good people?

So shaking hands and giving hugs brought pause in the wake of a 144-game season that nearly never stopped. And in that pause, I was left feeling grateful. Grateful for the chance to have met so many exceptional people, both in that clubhouse and outside of it, during my season in Fort Wayne and the Midwest League.

From Mike Nutter to everyone on down at the TinCaps, I don’t think I could have had a better home for my first full season in Minor League Baseball. I’ve been privileged throughout my life to have attended top-notch schools and to have worked around first-class people, and the TinCaps organization was no exception.

What makes Parkview Field so special, in my opinion, is that it’s not only first-class, it’s also fun. Sports are inherently fun, but somehow that gets lost some places. Not in Fort Wayne. While at times a baseball season can become monotonous, the TinCaps’ team of both full-time and part-time employees consistently brings a positive energy to the park, whether it’s Game 1 or Game 72. Nothing exemplifies the fun better to me than the Bad Apple Dancers. (My favorite BAD performance of the season below.)

Thanks to all those who contributed to the fun this season by coming to Parkview Field, reading It’s All Relative, and/or tuning in to our broadcasts. I owe much appreciation to Mike Maahs (as well as Kent Hormann for the times I filled in on TV) for helping to make it easy to feel welcomed in the broadcast booth. And the biggest thanks of all goes to Mike Couzens for offering me the opportunity to come to Fort Wayne in the first place. I didn’t necessarily have expectations for the season, but the six months far exceeded any hopes I could have had.

Like we usually end posts here, I hope you’ll keep in touch on Twitter @John_G_Nolan or by email. Thanks again, and go TinCaps!

Last month John Nolan had the tall task of talking to Oakland first baseman Nate Freiman when the A’s played the Reds in Cincinnati. Check that — the task of talking to tall first baseman Nate Freiman, who played for the TinCaps in 2010. Their conversation is below. 

John Nolan: What kind of memories do you have from your 2010 season with the TinCaps?

Nate Freiman: It was a very special year for me, because it was my first full season in pro ball. I got to play in my wife’s hometown, in a beautiful stadium that had opened the year before I got there. We were the defending Midwest League champions so we took a lot of pride in that. And we made the playoffs again, which was really exciting.

JN: How did that year in Fort Wayne help prepare you for your current major league career?

NF: It was the first time I had ever played that many games. I was working to play every day. I played in about 135 out of the 140 games. Went through a lot of ups and downs, both as a team and individually. That experience taught me to cope with a long season and the even keel you need to stay on physically and mentally during the season.

JN: With the TinCaps you hit .294 in 136 games with a team-leading 14 home runs and 86 runs batted in. What was it like when you had the chance to play in the Midwest League All-Star Game at Parkview Field?

NF: That was a blast. There were a lot of players in that All-Star Game who are Major League players now, most notably Mike Trout. It was a fantastic experience getting to take part in the Home Run Derby, which I finished second in. 

JN: You mentioned at the top how your wife, Amanda Blumenherst, an LPGA golfer, is from Fort Wayne. How did that shape your relationship with the city during your season there?

NF: I knew before the Draft that the Padres had a Single-A team in her hometown. We joked that it would be awesome to be drafted by the Padres and have a chance to play in Fort Wayne. When that happened, it was meant to be — surreal. I got to play in front of a lot of her extended family. She spent a lot of time out there. As a matter of fact, my host family from Fort Wayne, was at the game today. Paul and Carroll Russell were here with their grandchildren, which means a lot to me. 

JN: I hear there’s a story with Amanda and the TinCaps Bad Apple Dancers.

NF: (Laughs) Yeah, she had them perform at her bridal shower. They came and did a special performance. Her mom put that together. That was a really great idea. 

JN: To the present now, how has your rookie season gone with the A’s?

NF: I love it here. It’s been an amazing experience and I’m looking forward to the next few weeks down the stretch. 

JN: Finally, what message do you have for fans back in Fort Wayne?

NF: Minor League ball in Fort Wayne is the most amazing atmosphere in that stadium. And that’s because of the fans. They make that atmosphere so enjoyable, so I thank them for that. 

Thanks to Nate for his time. Entering September 18, his A’s were leading the AL West by 6.5 games and tied for the second-most wins in all of baseball. In 79 games, he’s hitting .275 with 4 HR and 24 RBI. He’s remembered in Fort Wayne not only for his production as a ballplayer, but for being one of the classiest and most intelligent players the TinCaps/Wizards have ever had. 

This is Coveleski Stadium, and it is where the TinCaps’ season will be decided.

In tonight’s third and final game of the Eastern Division Championship Series, one team will win and the other will pack up its gear until April of 2014. Last night Fort Wayne won, 5-2, forcing this third game after it had lost Saturday night at Parkview Field.

To get you up to speed, here are the newspaper recaps from last night’s action. First, Curt Rallo of the South Bend Tribune:

“This is what it’s all about,” South Bend manager Mark Haley said of Monday’s winner-take-all game. “It comes down to one game. Sometimes you get worried if you sweep all the way to the top and you haven’t experienced pressure. This is development. It comes down to one game, and who’s going to be ready for it. Who really wants it, and who is going to go out and execute and do the things that are needed. You play 140 games, and then it all comes down to one game, and it comes down to intestinal fortitude.”

And Sean Morrison of The Journal Gazette:

Manager Jose Valentin’s TinCaps demonstrated clutch hitting, clinical pitching and confidence in the field.

“It was a big win,” Valentin said. “I don’t think we’ve won a game in this park all year, and to come back and do it at this time of the year, after being down 0-1 in a two out of three series, it’s something that is not easy.”

…

“We’ve been playing great baseball, right on time, right when we have to,” said Valentin, whose team lost to Wisconsin last year in the Championship Series. “We got the biggest game of the year. … We need to come with the same intensity and score some runs early.”

Valentin is right. The TinCaps hadn’t won a game at South Bend all season, despite seven prior opportunities to do so. Now they’ll have to do it twice in as many nights to earn the right to take on either Beloit or Quad Cities in the Midwest League Championship Series. Here are a few more notes to get you ready for today’s game:

What’s At Stake: The winner of this series will represent the Eastern Division in the Midwest League Championship Series. Since 2000 , Fort Wayne has represented the Eastern Division in the Championship Series twice (‘09, ‘12), while South Bend has done so 3 times (’01, ‘05, ‘05). Overall, Fort Wayne has 1 title (2009), while South Bend has 3 (‘89, ‘93, ‘05).

The Shot Heard ‘Round the Fort: Although the TinCaps played in game three of the EDCS last year at Lake County (and won, 13-6), the team’s most memorable game three in this series came in 2009. Facing the Great Lakes Loons at Parkview Field, backup catcher Robert Lara, who hit just two home runs during the regular season, hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to send the TinCaps to the Midwest League Championship Series, where they swept the Burlington Bees.

Game Three Numbers: In game three of either a first or second-round series dating back to 2005, the record is an even split between home and road teams. The home team has won 10 games while the road team has won 10 games. In that same time frame, the TinCaps are 3-1 when facing a game three. In 2009 they defeated South Bend in the first round at Parkview Field, and Great Lakes in the second round, also at home. They lost to Lake County in 2010 at Classic Park and eliminated the Captains on the road last year with a 13-6 victory to advance to the Championship Series.

Sans Cigar: In 21 meetings this season, the TinCaps and Silver Hawks have played eight 1-run games, three 2-run games, and five 3-run games. South Bend has had the better of the close meetings. Fort Wayne is 2-6 in 1-run games, 0-3 in 2-run contests, and 3-2 in the 3-run games.

Rea Delivers Again: Colin Rea’s last two postseason starts have been stellar. His line yesterday (7IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 6K) was nearly identical to what he did in the MWL Championship series in 2012 (7IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 3K). He earned a win in both starts.

You know, for as good as Colin Rea was yesterday, maybe he’s better when his alter ego is in the house:

Here’s to a great outing from Jo Rhoss tonight.

———-

If you can’t make the game in South Bend, hopefully you can join me and John Nolan for the radio broadcast of tonight’s game. The game will be on The Fan 1380 in Fort Wayne and TheFanFortWayne.com everywhere else.

MUSICAL GUEST

David Guetta…take it away!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Greetings and Sunday salutations from Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium.  (The ballpark’s naming rights were just sold the other day.)

The TinCaps lost, 7-5, last night. Here’s the video recap with Kent Hormann and former Wizards pitcher Javi DeJesus:

Here are the game recaps from…

The Journal Gazette: http://jg.net/article/20130908/SPORTS0604/309089929/1008/SPORTS

South Bend Tribune: http://www.southbendtribune.com/sports/professional/silverhawks/article_b5892cea-186b-11e3-a170-001a4bcf6878.html

And some notes for today’s game:

About Last Night: The TinCaps suffered a 7-5 loss to the South Bend Silver Hawks in Game 1 of the best-of-three Eastern Division Championship series. After Fort Wayne rallied form a 5-1 deficit to tie the game, South Bend scored a pair of two-out runs in the top of the ninth inning to eliminate the stalemate.

What’s at Stake: Fort Wayne needs a win to force a decisive game three or else the season is over. The winner of this series will represent the Eastern Division in the Midwest League Championship series. Since 2000, Fort Wayne has represented the Eastern Division in the Championship series twice (’09, ’12) while South Bend has done so three times (’01, ’04, ’05). Overall, Fort Wayne has one title (2009) while South Bend has three (’89, ’93, ’05).

Postseason Hoosier History: This is the third time Fort Wayne and South Bend have met in the Midwest League playoffs, and the first time in the division finals. In 2004, the Wizards were swept in round one, while on the way to the 2009 title the TinCaps beat the Silver Hawks in three games.

Defense Dooms: The TinCaps committed two errors in Saturday’s loss that led to four unearned runs for the Silver Hawks. During the regular season Fort Wayne committed the second-most errors in the Midwest League with 187. South Bend had the fifth-fewest with 149. In the TinCaps first-round series against the Hot Rods, Fort Wayne only made one error to Bowling Green’s four.

Sans Cigar: In 20 meetings this season the TinCaps and Silver Hawks have played eight one-run games, three two-run games and four three-run games. South Bend has had the better of the close meetings. Fort Wayne is 2-6 in one-run game,s 0-3 in two-run contests and 2-2 in three-run games.

TINCAPS REPORT PODCAST

In today’s pre-game chat with Manager Jose Valentin, he discusses a tough loss in game one, his decision to start Colin Rea, why Trevor Gott is now his closer and looks back on his two years in Fort Wayne:

RADIO COVERAGE

John Nolan and I will bring you tonight’s game on The Fan 1380 and TheFanFortWayne.com, with coverage starting at 4:45. We hope you’ll join us.

MUSICAL GUEST

Third Eye Blind…take it away!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

Here we are at game #142, and the TinCaps are in the Eastern Division Finals for the fourth time in five years. The one year they didn’t make it in 2010, they still qualified for the playoffs. Those facts are a tremendous credit to the Padres organization for putting a winner here in Fort Wayne.

Here are some notes to get you ready for tonight’s game:

What’s At Stake: The winner of this series will represent the Eastern Division in the Midwest League Championship Series. Since 2000 when the Midwest League eliminated its Central Division and established its current playoff format, Fort Wayne has represented the Eastern Division in the Championship Series twice (‘09, ‘12), while South Bend has done so three times (’01, ‘05, ‘05). Overall, Fort Wayne has one title (‘09), while South Bend has three (‘89, ‘93, ‘05).

Sweep, Now What?: Dating back to the 2003 season, five teams (LAN-2003,  SB-2005, WM-2007, BUR-2008, QC-2011) that have swept their first-round series have won a Midwest League title. From the 40 first-round playoff series that have taken place in the last ten years, 20 teams have swept their first-round set, 11 of those teams were eliminated in the second round, and nine went on to make the championship series.

Powered by Pitching: Through the first two games of the postseason, Fort Wayne has gotten six-inning starts from both Joe Ross and Zach Eflin. Ross allowed one hit as he shut out Bowling Green Wednesday night in Kentucky, while Eflin surrendered just two earned runs Friday. Both were proficient at inducing ground balls. Of the 36 outs recorded during their respective time on the hill, there were 22 ground ball outs—12 from Ross and 10 from Eflin.

Tough Customers: During their 19 regular-season matchups with South Bend (tied for the most games against any opponent-West Michigan) the TinCaps had their lowest winning percentage against any Eastern Division opponent (.263 vs. SB, .333 vs. BG .368, vs. WM .556, vs. LC .667, vs. DAY, .765 vs. GL, .813 vs. LAN).

Hawk Hunters: Fort Wayne’s top performers against South Bend include Rodney Daal (.300, 3HR, 11 RBI in 12G), Maxx Tissenbaum (.308, 1HR, 7 RBI in 14G), and Tyler Stubblefield (.300, 1 HR, 5 RBI in 13G).

The pitching matchup pits Max Fried of Fort Wayne against Blake Perry of South Bend. Fried was a deceptive 0-3 against the Silver Hawks, because the TinCaps only scored three runs total during his three outings.

First pitch is at 7:05 tonight for game one of this best-of-three series. I’ll have the TV call tonight on XFINITY 81 with Kent Hormann and Javi DeJesus, while John Nolan and Mike Maahs will have the action on The Fan 1380 and TheFanFortWayne.com.

SERIOUS BASEBALL, SERIOUS PREPARATION

Earlier this afternoon, some of the TinCaps pitchers played a game of wiffle ball in right field. Strangely enough, it seemed like Clubhouse Manager A.J. Bridges was the most dominant player. He’s featured throwing some gas in the below picture:

Don’t sleep on A.J. Bridges, as a clubbie or a pitcher. He’s great at both.

AWARD WINNERS

Each month the Padres Player Development staff votes on players of the month throughout the organization. This month, Mallex Smith won baserunner of the month and Ossian’s Josh Van Meter, drafted this year out of Norwell High School, won defensive player of the month. The following information comes courtesy of Warren Miller, Manager of the Minor Leagues for the Padres:

Base Runner of the Month

Mallex Smith

Fort Wayne TinCaps

Fort Wayne centerfielder swiped 18 bases in August while batting .270 (27-for-100) with one double, one homer and seven RBI…swiped 40 of his Midwest League-leading 64 bases in the second half of the season for the playoff-bound TinCaps…his 64 steals were second in the SD organization behind Travis Jankowski’s 71.

Defensive Player of the Month

Josh VanMeter

Arizona League Padres

Shortstop selected by the Padres in the fifth round of the June draft out of Norwell High School in Ossian, Ind…led his high school team to the Indiana 3A state title…played in 44 games for the Arizona Summer League Padres,  batting .278 (44-for-158) with seven doubles, two triples and 16 RBI…walked 24 times…made one error in his final eight games, helping lead the Padres to the AZL playoffs…had a 15-game errorless streak during the season.

MUSICAL GUEST

Phillip Phillips…take it away!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.

The TinCaps came, they saw, and for one game to open the 2013 Midwest League playoffs, they conquered. A dominating 6-1 final score at Bowling Green Ballpark is what the TinCaps left in their wake as they left Kentucky last night, turning the series back to Parkview Field. Fort Wayne now needs to just win one of the next two games at home in order to move on to the next round of the playoffs and send Bowling Green packing for the second time in three years.

Joe Ross was magnificent Wednesday night, going six innings while allowing just one hit. Of the 18 outs he recorded, 12 of them were ground ball outs and three of them were strikeouts. Catcher Rodney Daal told me the plan was to go fastball heavy, especially with the two-seamer in on the hands against the Hot Rods, and the plan worked to perfection.

Hot Rods beat reporter Michael Compton of the Bowling Green Daily News talked to Hot Rods manager Jared Sandberg after the game:

“Joe Ross is an incredible pitcher. He’s got tremendous stuff. I think when we’ve seen him the three times this year he was working on stuff and developing as a pitcher. He was using his four-seamed fastball a lot. Today he went to his two-seamed fastball – I felt more than normal for him. I know he is a ground ball power pitcher and he got a lot of ground balls today. That was the performance that they needed. Sometimes you run into that.”

The performance was the second straight time that Ross had gone six shutout innings against Bowling Green, and it was his fourth one-hit outing of the season, although two of those were in the first two starts of the season.

Here’s the good news now for Fort Wayne:

In the 24 first-round Midwest League playoff series dating back to 2007, the team that won game one went on to win the series 17 times, or 71% of the time. The TinCaps have never lost their first playoff game and have swept their first-round opponent (Bowling Green in 2011, Lansing in 2012) each of the last two seasons.

It’s no easy feat keeping Bowling Green off the basepaths, either. The Hot Rods led all of MLB and MiLB with 230 stolen bases, yet didn’t have an attempt last night.

Talking to TinCaps catcher Rodney Daal today, he said the plan, once again, is to try and work in on the hands of the Hot Rods hitters. Simply put, he said if it worked yesterday, why not try it again today? Fort Wayne throws MWL regular-season ERA leader Zach Eflin tonight against Bowling Green’s Reinaldo Lopez.

First pitch is at 7:05. I’ll have the TV call with Kent Hormann on XFINITY 81, while John Nolan and Mike Maahs will call the action on The Fan 1380 and TheFanFortWayne.com.

END OF THE (REGULAR) SEASON

As the regular season comes to a close each year, the TinCaps Video Production Department puts together an end-of-the-year video for fans to enjoy. Check out this year’s version, featuring the hard work of Melissa Darby, David Hentz and Jimmy Mitchell. Enjoy!

MUSICAL GUEST

REO Speedwagon…take it away!

Thanks for reading. If you’d like to get in touch, you can reach me at Couzens@TinCaps.com or on Twitter @MikeCouzens.