Tigers Minor League Baseball Blog

Being demoted in any line of work is never fun, nor does it lend much room for confidence in any further hope for success. But in baseball whenever a player is hurt or gets sent down a level, it is especially hard because once again you are back at square one. For me I had to start from lower than scratch. With an injury right out of the gate into my pro career, I had to do more than get healthy, I had to prove that I was worthy of the opportunity I had been given. When you struggle because of something that is happening on the field, you are still on the field. When you don’t even get to throw or hit because of injury, it’s like taking the ability to lie from a lawyer; Your best assets are gone. The best metaphor I can think of for professional baseball is that it is like a highly functioning industrial machine. Sometimes parts of the machine break down and have to be thrown out or don’t work like they used to, and need to be tuned up. However, for the whole machine to work it has to be running at all times. So, whenever a part is taken out, a new one has to be brought in. Then once the machine is up and running smoothly again, the old part has to wait until another kink in the line appears where they can be put back in. For those who are promoted it’s a huge step forward because it means you are one step closer to the Major Leagues. However there is never any room to let up because once you are a key part of the machine, it is your job to make sure things keep running smoothly because there will always be another just like you, waiting in the wings to step up and take your spot in the line.

There’s only one sound in the universe that when you hear it, one is immediately taken back to their fifth grade cafeteria. This is the sound of 5,000 excited school kids all gathered in one place on a field trip. The field trip location today was Fifth Third Ballpark, also known to me as home field. The second I stepped out of the tunnel I said to myself, “God, I’m right back in my elementary school cafeteria.” My next thought was, “Is this a good, or bad thing?” Well we never really got the chance to find out because the game was rained out in the bottom of the first inning, when we were threatening I might add. I can sympathize with the little kids however because I can remember going to games that got rained out. So we all tried to do our part and have some fun and sign a few autographs to give them something to go home with. From inside the clubhouse though, I can’t say that there was all sad and sorrow going around. Like I said before any rest is good rest, but I have to admit, it would have been nice to take one back from Kane County.

Anyone who has ever gone to any minor league baseball game knows that there are endless festivities going on between innings. These games are usually created and thought up by the marketing staff to further entice the fans’ interest in the game. Before I go on, I have to give our staff credit for what they do; They provide additional entertainment (which is needed in some of our games) and also these present prime advertising opportunities. Plus our games are done pretty well and are even entertaining for the players. However, some of these things I have seen in the past couple of years gets a little out of hand. I am a fan of the traditional Milwaukee Brewers sausage race and any kind of video board animation, but when some of these gimmicks take four to five minutes to finish, it gets a little hard to focus on warming up. When you are worried about hitting a giant running corn stalk behind the catcher, or a kid who is lost trying to cross home plate, it does make you utter a few words to yourself. With that said, I have to tip my hat to a participant in today’s dizzy bat race. Now our staff does this event right: They pick two older folks, usually who are a little dizzy to begin with, and let them spin, and spin, and then spin some more. Rarely do either participants stay on their feet and it brings plenty of laughs and entertainment to us relievers in the bullpen. Today was no exception, and as I was throwing my warm up pitches, I caught a glance as the man was beginning to tumble towards what looked like the line of my throw. So I stopped and stared as he fell, hard, right on the baseline, on his face. I waited to see if he was okay and when he got up his face was covered in blood. I will have to say that was the first dizzy bat injury I have ever seen and hope the guy is okay. But whoever you are dizzy bat face plant man, I tip my hat because you provided us with one of the most memorable moments of 2008.

One of the great parts of playing minor league baseball is all the different places you get to see and people you get to meet. Unfortunately one of the more difficult parts of this profession is having to be away from home all the time. For me this isn’t as hard as some of the other guys because of the close proximity to home when I am there. Nevertheless, going to different cities and never really getting a chance to settle into one place takes a little getting used to. At least when you are home you have a place of your own and can have family, friends, or girlfriends/ wives come visit. These visits and time with familiar faces can do a lot for boosting confidence as well as morale. Sometimes, with all the travel and things to do outside of baseball, you can get caught up where you are and forget where you’ve been. When Todd Jones made an appearance with the minor league teams during spring training, he did everything the way we do, from the stretch to the way we wear our uniforms. When asked why he did that, he replied, “When you forget where you came from, it makes it that much harder to go back.” So when we get a chance to spend some quality time with the people who know us best and care about us the most, it helps keep you humble. And on another note, it’s always good when we get a visit from mother nature and her warm weather. Baseball is a summer sport and when 40 degrees is the high, sometimes life on the road gets cold really fast.

One of the main qualities of a good team is there ability to come together and bond as a team. So far we have not had much time outside of the confines of the respective stadiums to really spend some quality time together. So one of the ways in which we improve our friendships and team camaraderie is through good old-fashioned practical jokes. A college teammate of mine said you only make fun of the people you like. Well if that is the case, I guess you could say Paul Nardozzi is the captain of the team. A still, anonymous individual pulled of the first well-executed prank of the season. As Paul put his bags on the bus for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, little did he know there would be a surprise awaiting him when he unpacked. Eight pine scented car fresheners were placed ever so carefully in his travel bag, and not to mention it was about a 7-hour bus ride. Just one of those things is enough to do some damage, but this was enough to make an entire house smell like Christmas. Now I, being Paul’s roommate was also affected because not even a pack of lit matches could cover the smell in the room. Now Paul is doing fine, he was a little agitated to say the least but is already planning his revenge. So I am assuming that this session of team bonding will not be ending anytime soon.

Well we finally proved that we could win without Curtis Granderson, and following with the trend of the week ended the game the only way we know how. It really is amazing what winning will do for a team, from improving attitudes, breaking slumps and building momentum. Going into a week long road trip we have built up some much needed confidence. I have heard from almost every coach my whole life that good teams are able to win close games. I guess if this prophecy holds true, we are in pretty good shape. Obviously we would like to win some games like a normal team, so that there isn’t constant pressure on the bullpen. This isn’t to say that the relievers are not up to the task, but with a long season you don’t want to get burnt out and so, any rest is good rest. It was good to have Kyle Peter our center fielder, back in the lineup after Granderson’s departure. He didn’t disappoint either by coming though with the game winning hit. On a more personal note, I got to try my hand at extra inning pressure pitching. Once I snapped out of the little zone I was in and realized where I was (any pitcher knows what that’s like) it wasn’t all that bad. Now we are looking to keep the recently gained momentum rolling into this new road trip and whenever you go away from home winning doesn’t come easy so look for some more late action games out of the ‘Cardiac Caps.’

The White Caps took care of Beloit but they needed thirteen innings to do it.  Kyle Peter singled home Audy Ciriaco for the game winner and it capped off a four for six game for Peters.  He finished the game with two RBIs and a run.

Rudy Darrow picked up the win with a shutout inning and he improved to 3-0.  Andrew Hess kept the White Caps in it with three shutout frames in extra innings.  He gave up two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

There are many things that we as ballplayers try to make happen aside from bettering our own careers. One of these things is keeping fans coming to the games and make the games worth watching. Now part of that is the responsibility of the marketing staff, but there are things that the players do which do matter in getting a good turnout night in and night out. At the forefront of this list would have to be winning, which we have been doing the last few games. Secondly, to keep fans in their seats throughout the game is winning close games, also a recent trend (it makes leaving the stadium a little harder but I’ll take it). And last but not least, have some high profile talent for people to root for. Now we all strive to be high profile but there are just a few who seem to have this phenomenon follow them. Curtis Granderson is one of those players, and I couldn’t have enough good things to say about him for the two days he spent with our team. Not only did he bring in thousands of people to watch the rest of us, but he made sure to impart some of his wisdom about playing at the next level with us. It is hard to stay humble when your bank account can already say so much but I have to say that Curtis played the game no different and took the field to win just like everyone else. Hopefully the next big leaguer to come through West Michigan does it with as much class and fun as Curtis did this past weekend.

It seemed fitting that Curtis Granderson would get a triple in his first game but what didn’t fit was that he did it in Grand Rapids.  Still, Granderson had two of the White Caps four hits including that triple, which was West Michigan’s lone extra base hit in the 3-0 loss.

Emmanuel Miguelez took the loss despite a nice start.  He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in six innings.  Andrew Hess gave up an unearned run in two innings and he struck out one.

After a long and for the most part, disappointing road trip (6 days, 1-5) we get to return home for some much needed rest and support. It never is that difficult playing in other team’s parks, because the fans don’t play the game, we do. However there is something to be said for playing at home, even if there are no fans in the stadium that night. Just being able to sleep in your own bed and get some decent, non-fast food does a lot for game preparation. There is also a comfort factor which comes into play as well. You hear players talk about playing in an uncomfortable environment and when you get to play at home you get to be a little more comfortable and relaxed than the other team. Those of us who have played at a high level of athletic competition know that it comes down to doing all the little things right, before and during the game, to have success. This is one of the reasons for Iowa football’s fabled “pink visitors locker room;” to make their opponent more uncomfortable. This is a long season though and we are still playing very well so no one is worried as of right now. So now we have a much needed day off today to regroup and get ready for a six game home stand. Maybe I need to put in an order for some of that pink paint along with twenty year old wooden stools for our friends who come to visit fifth third ballpark. We’ll call it research.

This past weekend marked the first test of adversity for the Whitecaps in the early stages of 2008. It is never easy to go on the road and win especially when you have to go so far from home. Also it is never fun losing, but it hurts a little deeper when you know you played well and still lost. It’s funny how fast the game of baseball changes and how much a few inches can change the entire game. When you take time to think about what it is that separates a big leaguer from a minor leaguer, most of the time it comes down to a few inches. Whether it’s a pitcher whose ball moves 2 more inches right before it gets to the hitter, or a hitter making contact on the bat another inch up or down, the distance which holds most guys back from living out the dream of a lifetime comes down to less than a foot. I am a fan of the TV show “My Name is Earl” and if I have learned one thing from that show it is karma. If we continue to play the game how we have been, having quality at bats, playing solid defense and throwing strikes it’s hard to see us staying on a skid for any extended period of time. As for myself, I am beginning to settle into my role in the bullpen and also getting used to my first full season of professional baseball. And believe me you really do get used to living out of a suitcase.

Jonathan Kibler had a decent enough start but Wilton Garcia was roughed up and the hitters never really got it going in their 6-2 loss to Clinton.  Kibler gave up two runs on six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in six innings.  Wilton Garcia gave up four runs in his relief appearance.  Andrew Hess had his second straight solid relief appearance with a shutout eighth inning.

Christopher Carlson went two for four and he scored a run.  All seven hits by the White Caps were singles.

So far this season has started off on the right foot for the Whitecaps. Everyone seems to be finding their groove and settling into their roles quite nicely. Some of us are getting acclimated to taking on a new role, myself included. However, with the coaches and support staff our organization has in place, these transitions have come much easier than at first thought. There is one thing that has been a constant though which is still taking everyone a little longer to get used to; The northern weather. So far we have not seen many days over 50 degrees let alone 40-45. What does this mean? It means that, as a player, you put on a few extra layers, make sure you stay loose and stand next to the heater in the dugout as long as possible. Rain is always a given in a Michigan spring, and today we got our first taste of a rain out. My mom asked me when I told her the game was cancelled, “What do you do that whole time (from 2:15ish when we arrive, until the official decision)?” Well the majority of the time is spent playing cards in the clubhouse, or watching TV if the clubhouse manager is good enough to make that happen, which ours is. This worked out great for us today since we will be leaving for a six day road trip tomorrow. Everyone should be rested and ready to go. And as Crash Davis said (of Bull Durham), “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes, it rains.”

These days it is pretty hard to know much about your favorite players beyond their stat line. With that in mind, every so often I will feature a piece titled the ‘Pen Profile. This gives you, the reader, a chance to get to know your favorite Whitecaps players. Due to the fact that I am a non-threatening media personality, and there isn’t much else to talk about in the bullpen, you will get more information than out of a standard newspaper article. With that I give you the inaugural interview, one of the more colorful personalities on the team, our closer, Noah Krol.

Noah is from Nickerson, a small town in Kansas.
AH: Who was your idol growing up?
NK: I don’t know, I know you’re supposed to say your parents, but everyone says that.
AH: Who inspires you now?
NK: The movie Hoosiers
AH: Not a person?
NK: No the movie does it.
AH: What is your favorite food?
NK: Hot dogs. I’m not sure how many I could eat but I might try sometime.
AH: Being the closer, what do you think about during the game?
NK: It’s just another day
AH: What kind of car do you drive?
NK: A 1992 dirt brown Ford “Exploder”
AH: That’s up there with my 1998 Honda black hole.
AH: What’s your favorite bullpen activity?
NK: Arguing with Rudy [Darrow].

Well that’s all for now, hopefully this has given you a taste of what life is like around the team and look for further ‘Pen Profiles to come.

The White Caps continued their perfect start to the season with an 11-1 drubbing over the Loons.  Casper Wells put on a show for the crowd in the home opener and he went four for five with two homers, four RBIs and two runs.  Marc McBratney went three for five with a double, an RBI and four runs.

Lost in all the offense was some nice pitching.  Jonathan Kibler improved to 1-0 and he gave up just one unearned run in five innings.  Santo Mieses struck out four in three perfect innings and Andrew Hess bounced back from a rough outing this weekend and he threw a shutout ninth.

The White Caps made it three straight against South Bend although the games are getting tighter. This time it was 5-4 even though they had more then twice as many hits. Marc McBratney went three for four with a double, two RBIs and a run. Ron Bourquin doubled, walked twice, drove in a run and scored.

Emmanuel Miguelez pitched into the fifth and gave up one run before yielding to our own Andrew Hess. He got out of the fifth with a double play but then had a tough time in the sixth and he yielded three runs. Santo Mieses picked up the win although two of the runs that were credited to Hess scored off of Mieses.

My first goal for Thursday’s activities was to make sure that I was on time for the bus leaving to South Bend, so I wouldn’t have to be the first fine of the year. Once that was taken care of, my teammates and I began to think about baseball, after all this was our first game. Arriving in South Bend I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Silverhawks (by the way, what is that?) since we hadn’t seen them in the spring. My first impression was made after I had to pay four dollars for a hot dog before the game. Where’s that Miller High Life guy when I really need him. My second observation was that I didn’t see a fan in the stands until 20 minutes before game time. The weather wasn’t great but it was opening night and I expected a little more. Then, the first inning came and went and we had a 10-0 lead. This came as somewhat of a surprise but surprises can be good. I have to tip my hat to our starter, Ramon Garcia, as well. It isn’t easy to keep your routine and mindset when your team puts up runs like that but he pitched like he was getting paid. Aside from that, the bullpen vibe was really good and everyone is looking forward to a fun season.

Growing up in Michigan and being a lifelong Tigers fan, I had an idea of what spring training was all about. You get to beautiful Lakeland, Florida, kick back, throw some bullpens, play some golf, hang with the big leaguers, and then when it’s all said and done you go pretty much where you think you will be. Well, after surviving my first spring training as a player, I had a wake up call… everyday at 6:45 am on the dot. I had gone through a season of rehab last year and thought that it would be a similar situation with the daily schedule, including Sundays off. Luckily, my spring roommate Jeff Kunkel, who I played with for three years at Michigan and trained with in the off season, gave me some good heads up on what to expect.

It was a month straight, everyday, and looking back I understand why. So many decisions have to made in such a short period of time about where to send guys, who to keep and who to let go. And more often than not, these are decisions that take until the day before camp breaks to be made. Yes, that does come with some amount of stress, especially for a person in my shoes (a little older, not proven yet, mid round draft pick). Although when I stepped back and realized that I was playing professional baseball for the Detroit Tigers, some of that stress was relieved, and I just worked hard and had fun.

Now, I know that pitchers sometimes get criticized for our lack of work and laid back lifestyle, mostly by our bat swinging colleagues. The hours in the outfield spent shagging balls, the day off from an away game (if you aren’t throwing) followed up by either eight consecutive hours on XBox or the golf course are nothing to frown at. Okay, yes, we do have it pretty good, but that doesn’t mean we don’t work hard because at the end of the day you are still trying to keep or win a job.

So the season is right around the corner and everyone can’t wait to step across that line. I’m looking forward to playing in West Michigan and going for a 3rd straight title. Hopefully my friends in the rest of the organization will get one, too. For me the smell of hot dogs, the sounds of a wood bat and the drunk guy in the third row mean only one thing, summer is here.