Tagged: South Bend SilverHawks
Extend your prep … and surprise!
We’ve had a lot of requests and searches for Extended Spring Training information. Most of that stuff is not readily available, but the best we can do at the moment is let you know former Osprey who are currently at Extended Spring Training for the Arizona Diamondbacks:
– Pitchers: Robby Rowland, Victor Acosta, Teo Guiterrez, Justin Albert, Enrique Burgos, Keith Cantwell, Sammy De Los Santos, Randy Hamrick, Victor Lara, Miguel Pena, Blake Perry, Andrea Pizziconi, Miles Reagan and Casey Upperman.
– Catchers: Jae Yun Kim and Fidel Pena.
– Infielders: David Narodowski, Antonio Sepulveda, Eric Groff and Stephen Cardullo.
– Outfielders: Ender Inciarte, Ty Linton, Domingo Soriano and Henry Zabala
As we get word on any kind of news from there, we’ll let you know.
Now, on to the rest of the day …
– Great story in Baseball America about the concession favorites of Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Connor. Yes, Missoula, Bats and Balls received a plug …
– Daily Report: Triple-A Reno‘s Daniel Stange (2006) pitched the final two innings, scattering three hits and striking out two batters while shutting out Sacramento to finish off a 13-6 Aces win … It took 12 innings for Double-A Mobile to beat Jacksonville, 6-5. Taylor Harbin hit another home run, his second in as many nights, and had four hits to improve his batting average to .462. Paul Goldschmidt also homered, and had a two-hit night to bump his average back up to .350 … Mike Belfiore made his Visalia debut on Tuesday night, as he was placed with the Rawhide before the game at Stockton. It ended up that Bels went three innings (as planned), and the Rawhide managed to get a 6-3 win over the Ports. Chris Owings doubled and tripled, while David Nick and Rossmel Perez (two-run HR) each drove in a pair of runs in the win. Adam Eaton singled and stole a base in the victory, which Yonata Ortega sealed, picking up his second save … South Bend had their game iced out with Great Lakes. They will play two today beginning at 2:05 p.m. MT.
– Today’s schedule and former Osprey who will make starts:
AAA Reno (9-3) vs. Sacramento
AA Mobile (9-3) vs. Jacksonville – Charles Brewer (1-0) gets the start for the BayBears.
A Adv. Visalia at Stockton – Eric Smith (0-2) looks to start turning his season around tonight.
A South Bend at Great Lakes (2) – Jeff Shields will not piggyback in Game 1, instead, he will get the start in Game 2.
Head-scratchin’ time
The calendar reminds us that there are 62 days before the 2011 Season opener, 64 days until the Osprey open at home, and two days before someone sticks his neck out and makes a prediction or two in this very blog. Read on for more on that one …
– Reminder – the Osprey Job Fair will take place beginning today at 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Missoula. It will run until 8 p.m., with the ability to not only fill out a job application, but to get interviewed for a day-of-game job this summer with the Osprey.
– Guess who was Southern League Player of the Week? Love this line from the update “… if the Southern League can contain him for long enough, he may make a run at that honor at the Double-A level this year.” Oh, and a former Osprey hurler also claimed the Southern League Pitcher of the Week.
– Two starts for former Osprey pitcher and former No. 1 pick Jarrod Parker in the 2011 season, and two bad outings. Not a good sign, but two things to keep in mind – it’s still early, and Parker is still building up his arm after Tommy John surgery. There’s still hope that he will get stronger as the season progresses and Parker ends up in a D-backs’ uniform by September.
– Speaking of pitchers in Mobile – add Clay Zavada to the list. The 2006 Osprey alum will begin his comeback from Tommy John surgery in the BayBears’ bullpen.
– Former Osprey pitcher Tony Barnette is trying to adjust to Japan, even in Year 2 of his adventure with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. In his latest blog entry, Barnette explores some strategy differences between baseball in Japan and here in the States.
– Former Osprey catcher Miguel Montero has been like EnduroMan for the D-backs’, catching 13 of the team’s 14 games so far this season, and hitting around .400 to boot.
– South Bend’s getting ready for a visit from D-backs GM Kevin Towers, who’s out visiting and scouting for parts of the next few weeks, while keeping an eye on the big-league club.
– Minors recap: South Bend fell behind early, 7-0, and lost by a 9-4 margin to Great Lakes. David Holmberg took the loss for the Hawks, while Matt Helm returned to the lineup, and had three hits. 2010 Osprey teammates Chris Jarrett and Roberto Rodriguez each had two hits and a RBI for South Bend … Adam Eaton had two hits and a RBI for Visalia in a 6-3 loss at Stockton. Eaton, who also stole a pair of bases, raised his average to .357 with the effort … Taylor Harbin (2007) hit a three-run shot to help Mobile beat Jacksonville, 4-2. Harbin went 2-for-3 to improve his batting average to .412. Paul Goldschmidt went 0-for-3 with a walk and no strikeouts … Jordan Norberto pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing a walk and striking out two batters, while John Hester had a hit in three at-bats to help Reno beat Colorado Springs, 10-6.
– Here are today’s matchups and former Osprey making starts:
AAA – Reno vs. Sacremento
AA – Mobile vs. Jacksonville – Bryan Henry (2007) looks to improve his 2-0 record when he gets the call tonight.
A Adv. – Visalia at Stockton – Chase Anderson gets the call tonight for the Rawhide.
A – South Bend at Great Lakes – Tyler Green gets the start, but this is the Green/Shields show, meaning that Jeff Shields will be the first out of the bullpen. Green and Shields will alternate starts for now.
– And finally, speaking of head-scratching, Osprey radio voice Ben Catley will offer some predictions on former Osprey in Thursday’s entry. You may be surprised who he thinks will be the next former Osprey to become a Major Leaguer for the first time.
TOMORROW: Extended Spring Training update.
Manic Monday
Countdown – T-minus 65 days until the Home Opener, 63 Days before the 2011 Season opens at Helena, and at least another week before the latest edition of the Osprey Record Book is done. Sorry, but Sunday turned into a fun day …
– First, a quick reminder that the Osprey Job Fair will be held on Tuesday, from 3-8 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Missoula.
– Bobby Borchering had started in quite the funk for the Visalia Rawhide this season. Let’s hope Sunday’s effort goes a ways in breaking that up. We here at Bird Droppings hopes the same thing can happen to Pedro Ciriaco, and soon.
– Speaking of Visalia, their games attract runs like free food brings people out of the woodwork. Sunday’s win was the first time in four games this season that one of the teams involved scored at least 10 runs.
– Speaking of a ton of runs, Mobile and Mississippi combined for 24 of them on Sunday, with the Braves earning a 14-10 win. Five of the BayBears runs came off the bat of … yup, Paul Goldschmidt, who cranked out a RBI single and a grand slam in the slugfest. Through 10 games, Goldy is 10th in hitting (.364), and leads the Southern League in home runs (6), RBIs (15), slugging pct. (.939) and OPS (1.439). Teammate Taylor Harbin (2007 Osprey) is fourth in the league in hitting with a .387 mark.
– More on the former Osprey in the farm system can be found both here and here. Also an interesting read from Arizona Republic writer Nick Piecoro on how close the D-backs are to having a great farm system, according to ESPN’s Keith Law.
– Good signs are arriving about the early season performance of former Osprey pitcher Esmerling Vasquez, especially when everyone seems to have notice the newfound bite on his curveball.
– Lyle Overbay explores one of the great mysteries of baseball life – why some guys can hit against certain teams. Overbay is a .400 hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, whom he now gets to see on a semi-regular basis with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
– Also looks like Daniel Schlereth has found a home in the Detroit Tigers bullpen, and is part of a youth movement being used on the road to (Jose) Valverde.
– Nice piece we stumbled across on former Osprey reliever Evan Scribner and his odd road to the closer role for the Tucson Padres. Scribs has been up-and-down out of the gate, with an 0-1 record, two saves, and a 6.43 ERA. In five outings, he has struggled in two of them, and been virtually unhittable in the other three. Ahh, the life of a closer …
– The South Bend Silver Hawks are struggling out of the gate – again – but the offense was helped a bit by seeing a somewhat familiar face – Kevin Eichhorn. Eichhorn (2008-10 Osprey), now in the Detroit Tigers organization, was touched up in his second start this season on Sunday, allowing four hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings pitched against the Hawks. Eichhorn also struck out six batters, and retired the order the first time through, but Raul Navarro (2010) drilled a two-out single in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader. Keon Broxton (2009) also had a bunt single (he’s at .302 for the season), while Chris Jarrett (2010) walked twice in the SB setback.
– Here’s today’s minor league schedule and former Osprey who get the call on the mound:
AAA – Reno (7-3) vs. Colorado Springs
AA – Mobile (7-3) vs. Hagerstown
A Adv. – Visalia (4-7) at Stockton
A – South Bend (2-8) at Great Lakes – lefty David Holmberg (2010) will get the start for the Silver Hawks.
Roster announcements
Minor league teams in the Arizona Diamondbacks system have begun to announce their 2011 rosters for the season. Here’s what we have been able to find so far (number of former Osprey listed, as well as the former Osprey on the roster and their Missoula year(s). This list has been compiled as of Monday, April 4):
Triple-A Reno (7): John Hester (2006), Tom Layne (2007), Josh Ellis (2007), Esmerling Vasquez (2004), Daniel Stange (2006), Jordan Norberto (2006), Clay Zavada (2006 – will start season on DL).
Double-A Mobile (8): Jarrod Parker (2007), Bryan Henry (2007), Charles Brewer (2009), Bryan Shaw (2008), Jake Elmore (2008), Paul Goldschmidt (2009), Taylor Harbin (2007), Ollie Linton (2008). Former Osprey hitting coach Alan Zinter (2008) is serving in the same capacity for the BayBears.
Class A Advanced Visalia (16): Chase Anderson (2009), Christian Beltre (2008), Victor Cappellan (2008), Derek Eitel (2010), Trevor Harden (2008), Yonata Ortega (2007), Diogenes Rosario (2009), Taylor Sinclair (2008), Eric Smith (2009), Adam Worthington (2009), Rossmel Perez (2008), Bobby Borchering (2009), David Nick (2009), Chris Owings (2009), Adam Eaton (2010), Kyle Greene (2008). Former Osprey hitting coach Jason Hardtke (2009-10) is the manager for the Rawhide.
Class A South Bend (18): J.R. Bradley (2010), Blake Cooper (2010), Eury De La Rosa (2009), Jeremy Erben (2010), Bradin Hagens (2009), Kable Hogben (2009), David Holmberg (2010), Patrick Schuster (2010), Jeff Shields (2010), Dan Taylor (2010), RayWily Gomez (2009), Ramon Castillo (2009), Matt Helm (2009-10), Raul Navarro (2010), Keon Broxton (2009), Chris Jarrett (2010), Roberto Rodriguez (2010), Bobby Stone (2008-09-10).
Teams will open their seasons on Friday, April 7. South Bend will play an exhibition against the University of Notre Dame on Tuesday.
They have learned their destination …
As we find out player placements, we will add them to this post throughout the weekend. Some of it may be spotty, just to let you know, but we will do the best we can. Official roster announcements are due out this weekend from the full-season squads.
– Chris Jarrett (2010 Osprey) has just informed his Facebook following that he will start the season in South Bend. A place which is expecting 30 degrees and snow and ice just in time for the SilverHawks arrival. He’s joined in the outfield by former Osprey outfielders Roberto Rodriguez (2010) and Keon Broxton (2009).
– Scott Allen (2009) has learned that he will be pitching at Class A Advanced Tampa in the New York Yankees organization. Allen – who was in line to be the Opening Day starter for the Osprey in 2010 before he was promoted to South Bend in early June – was involved in the trade that brought Juan Miranda to the D-backs.
– Former Osprey reliever Jeff Shields (2010) will start the season in South Bend, along with a growing number of his Osprey teammates from last summer’s squad.
Roster move update …
The staff here at Bird Droppings has just found out that RHP Derek Eitel (2010 Osprey) will not be in the South Bend bullpen … he is instead heading into the starting rotation for Class A Advanced Visalia. According to a post on his Facebook page, Eitel indicates that they will break camp on Saturday.
As we have indicated earlier, rosters are expected to be announced on Saturday or Sunday. The Osprey will be releasing the former players who have been placed at full-season clubs on Monday.
The time is now …
Here’s hoping that people are nice to you on Friday. While it will be Opening Day for everyone else who did not play on Thursday in the Major Leagues, it will also be … April Fool’s Day. So keep your head on a swivel.
– A piece of Osprey information first – the annual Osprey Job Fair will be held on April 19, from 3-8 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Missoula. More information will be coming soon to the club’s website, www.missoulaosprey.com.
– As has been the case in Bird Droppings this month, anytime we mention a player would be in contention for a roster spot (Pedro Ciriaco and Jordan Norberto, anyone?), the opposite ends up happening. Now, we could call it a curse, but we’re citing other sources with this information, so we deny any and all bad ju-ju associated with such moves.
That being said, hours after we mentioned he was in the mix for a relief position in the bullpen, right-hander Esmerling Vasquez was sent to Triple-A Reno, despite having a solid spring.
– In Nick Piecoro’s blog, a scout asseses the D-backs player-by-player. The assessments include some good stuff on the beforementioned Norberto.
– Charles Brewer (2009) danced with perfection in his last spring outing, pitching 4 2/3 perfect innings in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ exhibition game with Monterry of the Mexican League. Brewer’s final line – 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0BB, 5K. Brewer allowed a single and back-to-back home runs before getting that final out of the fifth, plus also managed to lay down a sacrifice bunt. He also picked up the win in an 11-4 D-backs’ rout.
– Also playing in that game – Monterry third baseman Agustin Murillo, who played with the Osprey in 2003.
– The Cactus League finale – a 15-8 D-backs win over the Chicago Cubs – also featured former Osprey making appearances as the teams were in split-squad for the last time during Spring Training. Kyle Greene (2008), Bobby Stone (2008-09-10) and Roidany Aguila (2009-10), who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, played in the win, while Vasquez pitched an inning of one-hit, two-strikeout relief.
– Former Osprey catcher Richie Rowland (2010) did not stay “retired” long. After ending his term with the D-backs, the son of former Major League backstop Rich Rowland has signed a contract to play with Traverse City of the Frontier League. Richie’s younger brother, Robby, will be in Extended Spring Training, for now, with the D-backs.
– One other former Osprey let out where they were headed within their social media circles on Wednesday. Third baseman Matt Helm is headed to South Bend, and will spend a lot of his time in the lineup at third base. Helm was forced to learn first base and the outfield in South Bend last season to make way for prospects Bobby Borchering and Matt Davidson, and moved back to third when he rejoined the Osprey. Helm, just in case you forgot, played with the Osprey in the 2009 postseason, and then joined the club for the second half of the 2010 campaign.
– One other note – official rosters for the minor-league affiliates will not be released until Saturday or Sunday. Once we have an idea, we will post the information here, and have a complete look at all of the former Osprey placed on full-season rosters in a story on Monday, which will be send to the local media and appear on the team’s website.
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.
Was it you … were you among the two?
Countdowns – t-minus 86 days until the home opener, 84 days until the season opener, and about 80 days before the standard sweating begins in the Osprey Radio booth. Or is that 75? We forget …
By the way, we here at Bird Droppings salute the two people (or the one person who, on a whim, filled out two brackets, and did not change their Final Four) who picked all four of the Final Four teams in the ESPN Tournament Bracket Challenge. That was two out of 6,000,000-plus brackets.
…. as that sinks in, on with the nuggets ….
– While the official announcement is still a few days away, it’s looking like most of the 2010 starting rotation for the Osprey will be headed to South Bend to at least start the season. South Bend SilverHawks radio broadcaster Owen Serey blogged about who could be headed that way recently. The official announcement isn’t expected to be until this weekend – South Bend has an exhibition game next Tuesday at Notre Dame.
– Opening Day is Thursday, and that means that Major League clubs will also be making decisions as to who will be on their 25-man rosters. Two of those decisions, which involved former Osprey, came down on Monday:
The Arizona Diamondbacks have optioned Jordan Norberto (2006 Osprey) to Triple-A Reno to begin the 2011 season. In nine appearances, Norberto collected one save in one opportunity and posted a 6.23 ERA, walking six batters in 8 2/3 innings pitched. Norberto slumped a bit toward the end of spring while trying to compete for a spot in the D-backs’ bullpen.
Also, the Pittsburgh Pirates have opted to option infielder Pedro Ciriaco (2005) to Triple-A Indianapolis. Here’s one Pittsburgh writer’s take on the situation.
– Good news about Clay Zavada, according to Arizona Republic writer Nick Piecoro. Which, of course, got us thinking about that ‘stache …
We could not resist adding a Clay Zavada tribute video we found on YouTube.
We’ll keep up with the latest both here and on the Official Home Page of the Missoula Osprey, www.missoulaosprey.com.
Sweet 16 … or Final 4?
T-minus 90 days to the home opener, 88 days until the 2011 Pioneer Baseball League season opens in Helena, and a matter of hours before a double-digit seed (or two) goes dancing from the Sweet 16 to the Elite Eight. Which means that either your bracket gets a much-needed shot in the arm, or it ends up headed to the shredder.
– From the sounds of things, Geoff Blum’s sore right knee could either be ready for Opening Day or for the operating table. The utility man’s absence from the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup card has allowed former Osprey shortstop Chris Owings (2009) to gain some valuable experience in Major League camp. His defense has been solid, but the bat – he went 0-for-4 in Wednesday’s Cactus League game against Texas – has been slow to come around. Owings is only 2-for-25 in 14 spring games, with a single, double and four runs scored.
– Sometimes, it pays to be the elder statesmen. In fact, as Lyle Overbay (1999) begins his first season with the Pirates, it’s his experience which will be a key ingredient, as well as his bat and his glove, to Pittsburgh’s success this season.
– Back to the D-backs, where it looks like there could be as many as four positions left to be earned on the pitching staff. One of those – left-handed reliever – will come down to either veteran Mike Hampton or former Osprey Jordan Norberto (2006). Norberto’s big spring has some thinking he may earn a spot, but it was his winter that started the eye-opening process for people around baseball.
– Catcher Miguel Montero (2002-03) is preparing for a season where he will be the No. 1 guy behind the plate for the D-backs, but he is striving for some big things this season.
– Last but not least, while the Major League teams will be breaking camp soon, their minor-league counterparts will be spending a few more days playing games before they break camp. In fact, the Class A schedule will go through April 1. Class A South Bend will not play at home for a while still – Coveleski Stadium is going through a facelift, including the installation of a turf field. Their annual scrimmage with Notre Dame, for example, will be played on ND’s campus – a mere five-minute drive from the park. And that’s on a bad traffic day. They will open with a pair of road series before returning home to start their first homestand of 2011.
Bird Droppings 