Tagged: Bobby Borchering
Roster decision time
There are a few days that we here at the Missoula Osprey office look forward to which take place before our season begins. One of those – or, actually, more like three of those days – would be around the First-Year Player Draft.
Another one of those days is shortly after, when the D-backs announce who will be coming to Missoula, and the following days when we relay those announcements.
The third time begins … now.
This is the time that Major League teams announce their 25-man Opening Day rosters, and the minor-league teams also inform all of us who is headed where this season.
Unless you know one of the minor-leaguers, or keep tabs of them through social media means, the announcement of the rosters are the first indication of the progress they are making through the spring, unless they end up playing in a game or 10 with the parent club during the spring.
But, on occasion, we do get some inside information that we can pass along … with that in mind, as promised in the comments section of a prior post, we at Bird Droppings have found these nuggets:
– Derek Eitel has long suspected that he would start the season in South Bend, but the 2010 former Osprey will begin the season in the SilverHawks bullpen. Patrick Schuster (2009-10) will also open the season in South Bend.
– Robby Rowland, also a member of the 2010 Osprey, will not be on a full-season roster to start the minor-league season. Instead, Rowland will stay in extended spring training.
There’s other items of suspicion, like that 2009 Osprey alum Bobby Borchering will start at Class A Advanced Visalia. The Arizona Republic penned a very interesting story on Borchering’s youth. We have to admit, we’re all a little jealous of his backyard field …
And the battle that former Osprey Emilio Bonifacio (2003) find himself in while trying to earn a roster spot with the Florida Marlins.
– Adam Eaton (2010) informed his friends on Facebook on Tuesday night that he will start the 2010 season in the Visalia outfield. Not a surprise, with Eaton making the most of his looks in games he appeared in with the D-backs in Cactus League action.
– Former Osprey catcher Wilkin Castillo (2004) will start the season in Georgia, just not the destination we were hoping for.
– It looks like former Osprey reliever Daniel Schlereth (2008) will be standing on the line at Yankee Stadium with his Detroit Tiger teammates on Thursday. The official announcement is expected to happen today, but it’s pretty apparent he’ll be in the bullpen for the Tigers this season, barring injury. Which, if you have followed the Tigers at all, seems to go with their bullpen.
– Back to the D-backs, as it is now apparent that the final spot on the 25-man roster is in the Mibullpen, with former Osprey pitcher Esmerling Vazquez (2004), who has put together a solid spring, in contention for the spot. Especially with former Osprey left-hander Jordan Norberto now at Triple-A.
This means the following former Osprey (pending official announcements) will likely be on Major League Opening Day Rosters:
– Miguel Montero, Arizona
– Gerardo Parra, Arizona
– Lyle Overbay, Pittsburgh
– Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado
– Jorge De La Rosa, Colorado
– Jose Valverde, Detroit
– Daniel Schlereth, Detroit
– Sergio Santos, Chicago White Sox
– Tony Pena, Chicago White Sox
– Emilio Bonifacio, Florida
– Scott Hairston, NY Mets
Tomorrow, more roster news, and some updates on former Osprey who managed to get in some looks with the parent club in the last few days of Spring Training, as well as one former Osprey who will be back behind the plate soon enough – albeit in Michigan.
Midweek Madness
– To start with a reminder about the Osprey, including Ollie Osprey, attending the Kids Fair this weekend at Southgate Mall. In addition, there will be a Kids National Anthem Tryout during the Kids Fair. Read on for details.
– Paul Goldschmidt continues to open eyes at Arizona Diamondbacks’ spring camp. The former Osprey (2009 edition) has a hit in his last two games, is hitting .533 (8-for-15) with 14 total bases, three doubles, a home run and six RBIs. The RBI total is tied for the team lead at the moment. Goldy even has a stolen base. The problem is – there are now four candidates ahead of him in the first-base platoon, including Xavier Nady, who is being moved from the outfield temporarily to first. So the time that Goldy has in Major League camp could be cut short.
– Other Osprey-related news from the D-backs’ 16-5 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday – Gerardo Parra stole a pair of bases in the victory. They were the first two thefts on the basepaths for the 2006 Osprey alum this spring, who is now hitting .286 in eight Cactus Laegue games.
– Charles Brewer (2009) made his Cactus League debut on Friday against San Diego, getting the last out of the fifth inning in a 3-2 loss to the Padres. Oddly enough, he was due up in the home half of the fifth, and was lifted for a pinch-hitter on a double-switch. That pinch-hitter was Bobby Borchering (2009).
– And speaking of Borchering, he will see a little more time at third base during the spring, before he is sent back to minor-league camp. Read an interview with Borchering in The D-Blog.
– You get the feeling that the Toronto Blue Jays may come to miss former Osprey Lyle Overbay (1999)? The Toronto Sun ran a story about how the former Pioneer League Player of the Year could be the free-agent steal of the season. Overbay signed a one-year deal to play in Pittsburgh.
– There’s nothing like a peaceful negotiation. There’s also nothing like stability. Both exist in minor league baseball these days. Despite being four years away from needing to do it, the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (the governing body of minor league baseball) and Major League Baseball agreed to extend their current Professional Baseball Agreement through the 2020 season.
Keepin’ on the beat …
The Osprey will be hosting a Kids Tryour to sing the National Anthem and ‘America The Beautiful’ during the Kid Fair on March 12 at Southgate Mall. Full details on the tryout can be found here, and more information about the Osprey at the kids fair – including an Ollie appearance – can be found here.
Now on to the alumnus of your Missoula Osprey …
– Carlos Gonzalez talked to the MLB Network as part of their “30 Clubs in 30 Days” series, and is excited about not only the 2011 season, but being a long-term Colorado Rockie.
– Before you pen Paul Goldschmidt into the Active Roster for the Arizona Diamondbacks come April, well … read what manager Kirk Gibson told Steve Gilbert of MLB.com on Wednesday. Goldy is making it hard to not be “in the mix” though, with a two-run pinch-hit single yesterday. Arizona Republic reporter Nick Piecoro added some other thoughts to the situation.
– Also from Piecoro, video of two former Osprey taking batting practice: 2009 alums Chris Owings and Bobby Borchering. Both are in big league camp as minor league invitees.
– You can add Charles Brewer and Bryan Shaw to the list of minor-league players with Missoula ties invited to big league camp. Brewer and Shaw were both listed as backups for the Cactus League game last night with the San Francisco Giants.
– Minor-league camp opens this weekend, and there are some players who have already reported to the complex and started their preparations for the 2011 season. Most of those players are a month away from reporting to their full-season destinations, while others will begin the grind of Extended Spring Training.
Bird Droppings 