Tagged: Scott Hairston

News and Notes – March 14

The latest stuff on former Osprey players …

– The Arizona Diamondbacks reassigned 15 players to minor-league camp, including players on their 40-man roster. Several of them are former Osprey who were in camp. They are:

Optioned to Triple-A Reno:
RHP Chase Anderson
RHP Charles Brewer
LHP Eury De La Rosa

Optioned to Double-A Mobile:
RHP Keon Broxton
RHP Eric Smith

Reassigned to Minor League camp:
LHP David Holmberg
INF Chris Owings

All of the players except for Holmberg (2010 Osprey) played in Missoula in 2009. Keep an eye out for three of them this season – De La Rosa, Brewer and Smith, who each had a handful solid Cactus League outings. Expect both Holmberg and Owings to at least start the 2013 season at Double-A Mobile.

– EatonMania is runnin’ wild on the internet and print these days. It seems as if the more that Spring Training goes along, the more attention Adam Eaton (2010) is getting from the media and blog-sphere. If it’s not a blogger saying that Eaton could wow people more than Mike Trout, it’s a Sports Illustrated piece on the web. That all said, the key for Eaton to “wow” people in 2013 is to stay healthy, something that manager Kirk Gibson is hoping actually happens. At times, Eaton has struggled with that, but his all-out style does bring that along with it as a drawback. One thing is clear – his teammates like him, but the opposition doesn’t particularly care for him. (Last link is to an ESPN Insider post, but the beginning is still worth the read.)

– Ryan Robowski (2009) made it to the second round of cuts for the Detroit Tigers before getting reassigned to minor-league camp. The Non-Roster Invitee was touched up in his limited time in Grapefruit League action in his first Major League Spring Training action. Robo is likely headed to either back to Double-A Erie or Triple-A Toledo.

– It looks like John Hester (2006) has his hands full as he battles for the backup catcher’s job with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

– Scott Hairston (2001) will be platooning in right field for the Chicago Cubs, and hitting fifth in the lineup when he does start.

– Jarrod Parker (2007) has gone from not-so-sure-what-we-have to ace of the staff for the Oakland A’s … and wants more success in 2013.

– Another pitcher that wants a better 2013 is former Osprey starter Jorge De La Rosa (1999), who is starting to find his old self with the Colorado Rockies, almost two years removed from Tommy John surgery.

That will do it for now … other than a plug for the current O’s Poll of the Moment, which you can find on the right-hand column. Vote on it often – because the look into the Osprey crystal ball by Ben Catley is coming soon! We’ll see how your votes match up with his predictions on whom the next Osprey players will be to make their Major League debuts.

Weekend update (of sorts)

The World Baseball Classic starts tonight … how many of you are watching Australia-Chinese Taipei? We know at least one person who will be watching … anyway, a quick bit of information to get you through the weekend …

Weekend pitching:
– The Arizona Diamondbacks have posted pitchers scheduled for the weekend games, and as you can imagine, former Osprey are on the list, including a second look for Ray Hernandez (2011), who is scheduled to pitch again today against the Chicago Cubs, and former Osprey Scott Hairston (2001).

The rest of the schedule:
Today (Friday) – Andrew Chafin (2011) gets a call over from minor-league camp and is scheduled to pitch.
Saturday – Chase Anderson (2009) is on the short list.
Sunday – David Holmberg (2010), Eric Smith (2009) and Eury De La Rosa (2009) are on the scheduled lineup to throw. Continue reading →

Bits and Pieces … Feb. 18

Here are some more tidbits on former Osprey as full squads are now working out, and minor-league players are rolling in to begin their seasons … plus, one has recently found a new home, and its in his old stompoing grounds.

One quick item before we get into the news of the day … you should listen to the Trail 103.3 Tuesday morning at 8:30, as Osprey Executive Vice President Matt Ellis and Vice President/General Manager Jeff Griffin will be joining Robert Chase’s morning show with a special announcement to share about the upcoming season. Continue reading →

History is made again …

by Ben Catley

Time for a dose of Six Degrees of Separation, Osprey style.

There have only been two cycles hit at the Major League level by former Osprey players, with the second one happening on Friday night in Denver. New York Mets outfielder Scott Hairston, a 2001 member of the Osprey, hit for the cycle in a game which turned into an 18-9 loss to the Colorado Rockies. In part, the win – buoyed by an 11-run fifth inning – was ignited by former Osprey outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (2003), who drove in six runs on the night, five in that fifth inning. Continue reading →

Land of confusuion and rain …

T-minus 56 days until Opening Day, 54 days before the season opens, and while we don’t condone betting in any way, it appears as if the line favors there being an Osprey home run before any NFL player will be allowed to work out in their own facility, post-lockout-lifting. Oh, wait, one did already? Never mind …

– Both Gerardo Parra and Miguel Montero are among the D-backs who are on the NL All-Star Ballot. Vote now, and often (up to 25 times)!  Other former Osprey on the All-Star Ballot are Pittsburgh first baseman Lyle Overbay and Colorado outfielder Carlos Gonzalez.

– Speaking of CarGo, he’s slumping at the moment, and even took a day off on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

– Former Osprey infielder, and current Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Sergio Santos had one thing on his “to-do” list while the Pale Hose were calling on Yankee Stadium this week – meet Mariano Rivera and pick his brain about being a closer.

– Just in case you didn’t know … look who leads the minors in home runs.

– Here’s the latest stats for some of the former Osprey in the Major Leagues (as of April 27, 2011):
Miguel Montero (C, Ariz.) – . 292, 3 HR, 8 RBI
Gerardo Parra (OF, Ariz.) – .309, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Lyle Overbay (1B, Pit.) – .253, 1 HR, 11 RBI
Carlos Gonzalez (OF, Colo.) – .217, 1 HR, 14 RBI
Scott Hairston (OF, NYM)- . 179, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Emilio Bonifacio (IF/OF, Fla.) – .302, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB

Jose Valverde (RHP, Det.) – 2-0, 5-5 saves, 0.93 ERA, 9 Ks in 9 2/3 innings pitched.
Daniel Schlereth (LHP, Det.) – 0-0, 2.57 ERA
Esmerling Vasquez (RHP, Ariz.) – 0-1, 2.35 ERA, 0-1 saves
Tony Pena (RHP, Chi. WS) – 0-1, 7.71 ERA, 0-1 saves
Sergio Santos (RHP, Chi. WS) – 0-0, 2-2 saves, 0.00 ERA, 14 Ks in 11 2/3 innings pitched.
Bryan Augenstein (RHP, St. Louis) – 0-1, 9.53 ERA, currently on 15-day DL with groin injury.
Jorge De La Rosa (LHP, Colo.) – 4-0, 2.61 ERA, .179 opponents BA,  1 HR allowed in 31 innings pitched.

Time for the Minors roundup ….

– Triple-A Reno: The Aces rallied past Fresno, 6-5, on Tuesday.

– Double-A Mobile: The BayBears had their twinbill with Jackson postponed again due to rain. Yet, Paul Goldschmidt still leads the minors in home runs.

– Class A Advanced Visalia: The Rawhide had eight hits – two each for David Nick (double, 2 RBIs) and Rossmel Perez – but the see-saw ending turned in the bottom of the ninth, with the host Bakersfield Blaze winning, 6-5. Eric Smith allowed three earned runs in his six innings of work, while Adam Worthington surrendered two runs, both unearned, in the bottom of the eighth, which gave the Blaze a 5-3 lead. Nick doubled in a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game. Chris Owings also had a double for the Rawhide.

– Class A South Bend : The SilverHawks had their game with Bowling Green postponed due to rain, and it will be made up on May 14 as part of a doubleheader.

Today’s Games:
AAA Reno (13-6) will have today off, before starting a series with Tacoma on Thursday.
AA Mobile (12-6) at Birmingham. No word as of yet who will start for the BayBears
A Adv. Visalia (7-12) at Bakersfield. Derek Eitel will get the start for the Rawhide.
A South Bend (5-13) at Lake County. Bradin Hagens will get the start aainst the Captains.

One nearly down, plenty to go

We enter today with 57 days until the home opener, 55 days until the season opener, and about a month before the next big event at Ogren Park Allegiance Field – the annual Missoula Mavs Memorial Day Tournament.

– Gerardo Parra homered to help back Ian Kennedy’s solid pitching as the D-backs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, and ace left-hander Cliff Lee, 4-0 on Monday.

– You have to check out the photos of former Osprey reliever Jose Valverde in the gallery for this story, done after the Detroit Tigers swept the Chicago White Sox over the weekend. One thing is for certain, he does not hide his emotions.

Oh … and apparently, he also has a ritual before he pitches, too:

– Former Osprey first baseman Lyle Overbay was due to have his first night off of the season on Monday, after playing in the first 21 games of the season, but ended up serving as a pinch-hitter late in the game. For the season, Overbay is hitting .259 with five doubles, a home run and 10 RBIs.

– Here’s a little feature piece on former Osprey outfielder Scott Hairston. Notice the slight mistake at the beginning of the piece … gotta love blogs …

Daily Minors Update:
– Triple-A Reno: Daniel Stange and Jordan Norberto combined for 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief, and John Hester’s sacrifice fly plated a run as the Aces beat Fresno, 6-2. Stange picked up the win. All three played in Missoula in 2006.

– Double-A Mobile: The BayBears let a 5-1 lead slip away, but won at Jackson in 12 innings, 7-5. Bryan Shaw (2008) pitched the final three innings to pick up his first win of the season. Shaw allowed a hit, walked two and struck out two in lowering his ERA to 0.84 for the season. Paul Goldschmidt (2009) went 1-for-3 with three walks and three runs scored.

– Class A Advanced Visalia: Mike Belfiore (2009) had one of his roughest outings as a pro – walking eight batters while allowing two hits and three runs in three innings of work – but Taylor Sinclair (2008), Christian Beltre (2007) and Victor Capellan (2009) shut the door, combining for six shutout innings of relief in a 9-3 Rawhide win. David Nick (2009), Bobby Borchering (2009) and Rossmel Perez (2008) had two hits each, while Kyle Greene (2008) drove in a pair of runs for Visalia.

– Class A South Bend: David Holmberg (2010) was silly good on Monday night, but the SilverHawks lost to Bowling Green, 2-1. The Hawks had just four hits on the night, with Keon Broxton getting two of them and scoring the lone run. Broxton (2009) singled in the top of the second, and scored on a Chris Jarrett (2010) RBI triple. The other hit came from Ramon Castillo (2009), who was making his first start behind the plate, and committed a pair of throwing errors that led to both Hot Rod runs. Holmberg allowed four hits and a walk in seven innings of work, struck out 12 and picked off two runners.

Today’s Games (and probable Osprey pitchers):
AAA Reno (12-6) at Fresno
AA Mobile (12-6) at Jackson
A Adv. Visalia (7-11) at Bakersfield – Eric Smith (2009) seeks his first win of the season tonight.
A South Bend (5-12) at Bowling Green

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.

The aftermath

Usually, we kick off the blog entry for the day with some sort of tie-in for the day, but we came across a serious piece of news for today’s entry, so out of respect for that, we just get to the info.

– Former Osprey pitcher Tony Barnette (2006) is hoping to get his second season with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows underway soon. However, with Japan still reeling from the devistating earthquake and tsunami that hit earlier this month, the process to return to normalcy has been a long one. Barnette talks about the questions and shares his thoughts in his latest blog entry on Davis Sports Deli.

– Scott Hairston, who played for Missoula in 2001, entered New York Mets camp as a non-roster invitee, and without a contract. He’s leaving camp in a week or so, at the very least, under contract and on the 40-man roster. Hairston has hit .425 in Grapefruit League play, with nine runs scored, two home runs and seven RBIs.

– Former Osprey catcher John Hester (2006) has been outrighted to Triple-A Reno by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hester spent a good portion of the 2010 season between Reno and the D-backs, and served as Miguel Montero’s backup for much of the season.

– Here’s more on former Osprey outfielder Gerardo Parra’s impressive spring. It’s always been a prevailing thought that Parra, who has hit at every level he has played, would eventually hit at the Major League level as well.

Made us think of Parra’s first Major League at-bat, which was a home run, and this is as close as we could get to getting video of it. Doesn’t do the pitch location justice – which Reds’ pitcher Johnny Cueto had headed into the dirt of the left-handed batter’s box.

– Miguel Montero’s also beginning to feel it at the plate. The influence in having veteran Henry Blanco as a backup should help Montero (2002-03 Osprey) as he continues to grow into the role of being the D-backs No. 1 backstop.

One other quick item … we’re getting feedback in a few mediums right now on the blog, however, we want to encourage everyone to comment in here as well. Let us know you’re enjoying Bird Droppings, or what we need to do differently. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Also, Season Ticket Holders – don’t forget, the deadline to pay off your season tickets in full and receive a free popcorn and pop for each ticket purchased is March 31! If you have any questions, please contact the Missoula Osprey office at (406) 543-3300.

What’s happening …

Today brings us a mixed bag of things to check out, and know about, when it comes to the Missoula Osprey … just remember, it’s 111 days until the Osprey season opener, and 113 days before the Osprey home opener. It’s also 13 days before you begin to call the Osprey office and hear the countdown …

– If Gerardo Parra (2006 Osprey) wants to see some significant playing time this season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, hard work will have to come beforehand. So far, so good, according to this story.

– Another mixed-bag day for Osprey fans at Salt River Fields, with no Goldy, the return of CarGo and Mr. Smith getting touched up a bit by his former organization. Check out the box score here.

– Hector Ambriz (2006) will begin the season, by all indications, at Triple-A Columbus. The right-handed pitcher was outrighted to Columbus by the Cleveland Indians in late October, this after he was shut down in September with a sore elbow – a problem that Ambriz experienced during Spring Training. Ambriz was selected by Cleveland in the Rule V Draft in 2009, and stayed on the Active (25-man) Roster for the Tribe the entire season (DL time included). Ambriz was 0-2 with a 5.59 ERA in 2010, his first in the Major Leagues.

– Nothing like impressing your new teammates. Scott Hairston (2001 Osprey) did just that in a New York Mets intrasquad game last week. Hairston is off to a solid start this spring, going 2-for-5 in three Grapefruit League games (thru Tuesday’s games) with a double and two runs scored.

– Look for more information soon on a Kids National Anthem Tryout. It will take place during the Kids Fair on March 12, which means that Ollie Osprey will be flying by and making an appearance. The Kids Fair is the typical first weekend that Ollie gets to stretch his wings and fly back home to Missoula, although he has been spotted around town a little more frequently this winter. Details are coming soon.

– Lastly today, when looking for Osprey alumni stuff, we stumbled across this video of former Osprey, and Pioneer League Triple-Crown winner, Jesus Cota (2001), who has spent the past four seasons playing for Saltillo of the Mexican League. Cota was doing one of those “Get to know your Sarapellos” pieces. The audio, by the way, is in Spanish, although we’re pretty sure Denzel Washington translates the same in both English and Spanish.

Watching that swing, it’s not hard to see him winning a Triple Crown. He’s also hit over .330 the past two seasons for Saltillo, inlcuding when they won the Mexican League championship in 2009.