Friday, April 30, 2010

Mission Notes vs. Dunedin (April 30-May 2)

THE FLYING TIGERS (11-9, tied for second, 1.0 GB) ... Lakeland enters this series with a two-game win streak following a 4-3 last night in Daytona. Gustavo Nunez had three hits while Rawley Bishop drove in three runs with a single and a home run. Charlie Furbush went 6.0 innings and struck out eight while scattering five hits. Erik Crichton picked up the win in relief while Matt Hoffman worked the ninth to record his first save. Lakeland returns home to Marchant Stadium where the team is 6-2. Brent Wyatt leads the Flying Tigers with a .357 average (third in the FSL) while Bishop is batting .323 on a season. Brayan Villarreal is tied for the league lead with 32 strikeouts while Charlie Furbush is tied for third with 29 punch outs. Lakeland is batting .244 as a team and has a 3.02 team ERA (second in the league).

DUNEDIN (11-9, tied for second, 1.0 GB) ... The Blue Jays are coming off a 7-4 loss to Tampa on Thursday night. The loss is Dunedin’s third in its last five games. Yan Gomes leads the team with a .395 average while Raul Barron is hitting at a .340 average. Daniel Perales is tied for second in the FSL with four homers. Henderson Alvarez is off to an incredible start on the mound with a 3-0 record and a miniscule 0.37 ERA. The Blue Jays are hitting .266 as a team (second in the FSL) with a 3.84 ERA.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

FRIDAY: Luke Putkonen (1-1, 4.50)
... exited his last start in the second inning due to an injury ... worked his longest outing of 6.1 innings in prior start on April 18 ... struck out six in that game for season high.

SATURDAY: Mark Sorensen (2-1, 2.10)
... gave up season highs of 11 hits and five runs (four earned) in last start on April 25 vs. Tampa ... had no strikeouts after punching out 15 in first three starts ... both wins of season came in home games ... lost start vs. Dunedin last season giving up four earned runs in 5.1 IP.

SUNDAY: Brayan Villarreal (2-2, 2.70) ... tossed Lakeland’s first complete game on April 27 in last start at Daytona ... gave up just three hits, but two were home runs ... has struck out at least six in each start.

THE SERIES
... These two teams enter this series tied for second place in the North Division, just 1.0 game behind Clearwater. Both squads are 6-4 in the last 10 games. Lakeland won the series last season by a 9-8 margin. Kody Kaiser was 8x17 with 10 runs scored and five runs batted while Josh Workman was 7x20 with two doubles in 2009 vs. the Blue Jays.

POWER SURGE
... After hitting just two homers in the first 14 games, Lakeland has homered seven times in the last six games. Rawley Bishop has hit three round-trippers since April 23 while Kody Kaiser has gone yard twice in the same time frame. Andy Bouchie, John Murrian and Bryan Pounds have also homered since the 23rd.

FLYING HIGH
... Rawley Bishop has two hits in each of his last games, and now has eight multi-hit games since April 13. He has also driven in eight runs over the last five games ... Alden Carrithers is 7x17 (.412) in the last four games ... Daniel Fields has hits in eight of his last nine games (.303) ... Kody Kaiser had a seven-game hit streak snapped last night. He is now 12x37 (.324) his last eight games ... John Murrian is 6x12 (.500) in the last three games with two doubles and a home run ... Gustavo Nunez is 16x52 (.308) since April 15 ... Bryan Pounds is 7x23 (.304) over his last six games ... Brent Wyatt has a six-game hit streak in which he is 10x22 (.455).

IN THE ORGANIZATION ... Brent Wyatt’s .357 average is tops among Detroit minor leaguers while Rawley Bishop is third with a .323 average. Alden Carrithers (.277) and Kody Kaiser (.268) are also in the top ten ... Brayan Villarreal is seventh with a 2.70 ERA while Mark Sorensen is 10th with a 3.00 mark. Villarreal’s 32 strikeouts leads the organization while Charlie Furbush is close behind with 29 K’s.

FORMER FLYING TIGERS ON THE ALL-STAR BALLOT ... Scott Sizemore (Detroit) is listed among American League second baseman. Sizemore batted .286 with 11 doubles and 14 stolen bases for the 2008 Flying Tigers. He is hitting .259 in 18 games for Detroit this season ... Curtis Granderson (NY Yankees), Cameron Maybin (Florida), Cody Ross (Florida) are outfield candidates. Granderson batted .286 with 136 hits, 29 doubles, 10 triples, 11 homers and 51 RBI for the 2003 Lakeland Tigers and is hitting .243 for the Yankees this season. Maybin hit .304 with 14 doubles, 10 homers and 44 RBI for the 2007 Lakeland club while Ross batted .276 with 133 hits, 34 doubles, five triples, 15 homers and 28 stolen bases for the 2001 Lakeland Tigers. Maybin is hitting .259 and Ross is batting .266 for the Marlins.

FELLOW DIRTBAGS ... Lakeland’s Adam Wilk and Dunedin’s Andrew Liebel were college teammates for two seasons at Cal State Long Beach whose team is known as the “Dirtbags”

EX-TIGER IN THE HOUSE ... Daniel DeLucia was a 35th round pick of Detroit in the 2008 draft and played that summer for Oneonta. He was released by the Tigers following the 2009 Spring Training.

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS:

Detroit (13-10, 2nd place, 1.5 GB, W2, 6-4 last 10 games)
Toledo (13-9, 2nd place, 1.0 GB, W1, 6-4 last 10 games)
Erie (10-10, 5th place, 3.5 GB, W6, 8-2 last 10 games)
Lakeland (11-9, tied 2nd place, 1.0 GB, W2, 6-4 last 10 games)
West Michigan (7-14, 7th place, 9.0 GB, W1, 2-8 last 10 games)

Monday, April 26, 2010

Mission Notes for Daytona Series (April 27-29)

THE FLYING TIGERS (9-8, tied for third, 1.5 GB) ... Lakeland rapped out 12 hits on Sunday but it wasn’t enough as the Flying Tigers fell 5-3 to Tampa at Steinbrenner Field. John Murrian had three hits including a double and a home run while Brent Wyatt also had three hits. The 12 hits gave Lakeland 30 hits in the two games and marked the third time in the last five games the Flying Tigers have reached double digits in hits. Unfortunately, the pitching staff has allowed 12 or more hits in each of the last three games. The team ERA has risen to 3.12 while the team batting average is now .240 including .303 in the last five games.

DAYTONA (7-11, 5th place, 4.5 GB) ... Daytona dropped a 5-4 decision in 14 innings on the road Sunday at Brevard County. The game was scoreless through nine innings with both team scoring three times in the 10th. The Cubs pushed across a run in the top of the 14th, but the Manatees took advantage of two Daytona errors to win the game in the bottom of the frame. Matt Spencer is hitting .321 since joining the club seven games ago while David Macias is batting .300 on the season.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:

WEDNESDAY: Brayan Villarreal (2-1, 2.35) ... has struck out eight or more in each of his three starts and nine in each of his last two ... picked up wins in his last two starts with a 1.59 ERA ... signed as non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2005 ... Lakeland represents the highest level he has reached in five seasons.

THURSDAY: Adam Wilk (0-2, 3.94) ... is seeking his first win .. lost his first two starts of the season ... 11th round pick in 2009 out of Cal State Long Beach (known as the “Dirtbags”) ... was 4-1 with a 1.47 ERA splitting time between Oneonta and West Michigan in 2009.

FRIDAY: Charlie Furbush (1-2, 6.00) ... dropped his last two starts with a 9.00 after tossing 5.2 shutout innings in his first start ... has struck out seven batters in each of his three starts ... 4th round pick out of LSU in 2007 ... missed 2008 season with a left elbow strain ... was 6-7 with a 3.96 ERA in Lakeland last season ... was 1-2 with a 5.01 ERA in five starts vs. Daytona last season.

THE SERIES ... Daytona won eight of the 17 meetings in 2009. This is the first series between the I-4 rivals this season.

ROLLER COASTER RIDE ... Lakeland was shutout in three of its first four games and then rebounded to win four straight and seven of the next nine games, but has gone back down the hill dropping three of their last four games. The Flying Tigers are 6-2 at home and 3-6 on the road this season.

IN THE ORGANIZATION ... Brent Wagler’s average of .370 is currently tops in the Detroit organization now that Brennan Boesch is a member of the big club ... Rawley Bishop (.327, 5th), Alden Carrithers (.318, 6th), Bryan Pounds (.278, 9th) and Kody Kaiser (.276, 10th) all rank in the top ten ... Brayan Villarreal is 4th with a 2.35 ERA while Mark Sorensen’s 3.00 ERA ranks 8th. Villarreal’s 26 strikeouts is the most among Detroit minor leaguers ... Lakeland’s 3.12 ERA is tops among the four clubs while the .240 team batting average is second best.

FSL LEADERS (LAK) ... Brent Wagler is tied for second with a .370 average ... Brayan Villarreal is second with 26 strikeouts, just one behind the leader. His 15.26 strikeouts per nine innings is 2.59 more that any other FSL pitcher.

FSL LEADERS (DAY) ... Rafeal Dolis and Oswaldo Martinez are ranked second and sixth with ERAs of 0.90 and 1.23, respectively. Dolis is second with a .149 opponent batting average while Martinez’s OBA of .173 ranks third ... David Macias is tied for third with 14 RBI .. Brett Jackson leads with 16 base on balls.

BUSY TRANSACTION WIRE ... The Flying Tigers had several comings and goings on the ol’ transaction wire in the past week:
  • April 21 - Tyler Stohr and Lester Oliveros placed on the 7-day DL; Rob Waite was added from Extended Spring Training (EST).
  • April 23 - Austin Wood activated from the DL.
  • April 24 - Chris White was promoted to AA Erie; Chao-Ting Tang added from EST.
  • April 25, Ramon Garcia was also promoted to Erie; Michael Morrison added from EST.

NEW CREW MEMBERS ... Michael Morrison, a 29th round pick in 2009 out of Cal State Fullerton, was 1-1 with a 3.26 ERA in 12 games at Oneonta ... Chao-Ting Tang, Lakeland’s first Taiwanese player, split the 2009 season between the GCL Tigers and West Michigan. An undrafted free agent, Tang signed with Detroit in 2008 and played that season in the GCL ... Rob Waite pitched in 10 games for Lakeland in 2009 before going to West Michigan ... Austin Wood, a fifth round pick out of Texas in 2009, is perhaps best known for tossing 12.1 innings of no-hit ball in the Longhorns’s 25-inning regional playoff game against Boston in 2009. In his total of 13 innings in that game, Wood threw 169 pitches, 121 for strikes, and struck out 14 batters.

EARNING THEIR STRIPES ... Rawley Bishop has had two hits in six games this season, including two of the last three games ... Alden Carrithers has had four multi-hit games including a 3x5 effort on April 24 vs. Tampa ... Daniel Fields has a six-game hit streak ... Kody Kaiser has two or more hits in six games including a 3x5 night on April 20 against Brevard County ... John Murrian went 3x4 on Sunday at Tampa with a double and a home run ... Billy Nowlin has four multi-hit games with a 3x4 game on Saturday against Tampa ... Gustavo Nunez has had two hits in five games this season ... Bryan Pounds was 11x17 (.647) during a four-game stretch from April 14-17 including a 5x5 effort on April 14 against Brevard .. Brent Wyatt has had six multi-hit games (including the last three straight) and has twice had three hits in a game (April 9 and 25 vs Tampa). He is 7x12 the last three games.

POWER ON ... After hitting just two homers in their first 14 games, Lakeland has hit five out of the park in the last three games. Rawley Bishop led the charge with homers in back-to-back games on April 23 vs. Clearwater and April 24 vs. Tampa. Andy Bouchie, Kody Kaiser and John Murrian have all gone deep as well.

FELLOW LSU TIGERS ... Lakeland’s Charlie Furbush and Daytona’s D.J. LeMahieu both played at Louisiana State University. Furbush was drafted out of LSU in 2007 while LeMahieu came to the program that fall as a freshman.

PAIR OF FIRST-ROUNDERS ... Daytona’s Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson were both first round picks by the Cubs. Vitters was the third overall pick in the 2007 draft out of high school while Jackson was selected 31st overall in the 2009 draft out of California.

FLYING HIGH ... Rawley Bishop had his seven-game hit streak snapped on Sunday, but is still batting . 393 in his last eight games ... Alden Carrithers is 5x9 the last two games ... Dan Fields has hit .348 (8x23) since going 0x3 in his Lakeland debut on April 17... Kody Kaiser is 10x24 (.417) his last five games and 17x48 (.354) since April 12 ... Gustavo Nunez had a six-game hit streak snapped on Sunday, but is 12x40 (.300) since April 15.

FORMER FLYING TIGERS UP ON THE FARM ... Deik Scram has been promoted to Toledo to take a roster spot vacated by Ryan Strieby’s move to the DL with pain in his right wrist ... Ryan Ketchner has been promoted to Toledo to take a spot vacated by Ruddy Lugo being placed on the DL after taking a line drive in the face on Friday ... Audy Ciriaco moves to third base at Erie after playing shortstop for five seasons.

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS:
  • Detroit (10-9, 2nd place, 3.0 GB, 4-6 last 10 games)
  • Toledo (10-8, 2nd place, 1.0 GB, 6-4 last 10 games)
  • Erie (7-10, 5th place, 4.5 GB, won 3 straight, 7-3 last 10 games)
  • Lakeland (9-8, tied 3rd place, 2.0 GB, 5-5 last 10 games)
  • West Michigan (6-12, 7th place, 3-7 last 10 games)


Saturday, April 24, 2010

Mission Notes for Tampa Series (April 24-25)

THE FLYING TIGERS (8-7, fourth place, 1.5 GB) ... Lakeland pitchers combined to strike out a season-high 14 batters last night, but a five-run fifth inning by Clearwater was too big a hole to climb out of as the Flying Tigers fell 8-4 to the Threshers. The loss drops Lakeland into fourth place, 1-1/2 games behind the #1 Threshers and 1/2 game behind Tampa and Dunedin, which are tied for second. The Flying Tigers are batting .217 on the season and rank third in the FSL with a 2.77 team ERA. The staff’s 126 strikeouts is second only to Clearwater’s 128.

TAMPA (9-7, tied for 2nd place) ... The Yankees downed Daytona, 11-3, last night to stand at 9-7 and move into a tie with Dunedin for second place. Pitchers Hector Noesi and Adam Warren are each tied for fourth in the league with identical 1.06 earned run averages. Tampa has a 3.11 team ERA and a .245 team batting average. Walter Ibarra is 7x16 (.438) his last four games.

LAKELAND PROBABLE PITCHERS:
TONIGHT: Luke Putkonen (1-1, 3.68) ... took the loss in the season opener on April 8 against Tampa lasting 3.2 innings and allowing three runs on six hits ... struck out six and walked one while holding Brevard to one earned run on a pair of hits on April 18 in his last start ... The six strikeouts doubled his season total ... opponents are batting .208 against Putkonen ... third round pick in 2007 out of the University of North Carolina.
SUNDAY: Mark Sorensen (2-0, 1.65) ... went 6.0 innings in last start on April 20 vs. Brevard County ... allowed six hits but limited the Manatees to two runs (one earned) with three strikeouts and zero walks ... tossed five shutout innings in first start on April 9 against Tampa with five strikeouts and five hits allowed ... 32nd round pick in 2008 out of Michigan State ... son of former Major League pitcher Lary Sorensen.

THE SERIES ... Each of the first four meetings resulted in shutouts, unfortunately, Tampa posted shutouts in three of those game. Lakeland’s shutout was a 6-0 affair with Chris White (4x12), Ben Guez (3x11), and Brent Wyatt (3x7) accounted for 10 of Lakeland’s 15 hits in the series. Lakeland batted .129 in the four games while posting a 2.38 ERA ... Abraham Almonte and Jose Pirela each had six hits for the Yankees in the four games leading Tampa to a .256 team batting average. The three shutouts helped the Yankees post a 1.29 ERA in the first four games.

LEADING OFF ... Kody Kaiser has two or more hits in five games this season, the most multi-hit games by any Lakeland batter. Lakeland is 3-2 since Kaiser took over the lead-off spot on April 18 with Kaiser batting .318 (7x22) in the lead-off slot. He is 7x15 (.467) his last three games.

FLYING HIGH ... With two more hits last night, Rawley Bishop now has hits in six straight games and eight of his last nine with five multi-hit games. He is hitting .448 (13x29) during the streak ... Daniel Fields is 5x14 (.357) his last four games since going 0x3 in his Lakeland debut on April 17. Fields also has stolen three bases in the last two games ... Gustavo Nunez is .355 (11x31) his last eight games ... Chris White has hits in eight of his 12 games played ... Brent Wyatt is batting .316 with 12 hits in 38 at bats, but nine of those hits came in four multi-hit games.

THE ARMS ... Erik Crichton has not allowed a run in three in his last three appearances to drop his ERA from 7.71 to 3.18 ... Ramon Garcia has yet to allow a run, despite surrendering seven hits in his five appearances while striking out nine ... Matt Hoffman’s homer allowed on Thursday was his first run given up in five games this season ... Lester Oliveros was 5-for-5 in five games in save opportunities before going on the 7-day DL ... Luke Putkonen struck out six in his last start to double his strikeout total this season ... Anthony Shawler gave up his first run in five appearances on April 21 ... Mark Sorensen has 15 strikeouts and just two walks in 16.1 innings in his three starts. He has the best ERA in the organization with a 1.65 mark ... Brayan Villarreal struck out nine on April 21, the second consecutive game with nine K’s and third in three starts with eight or more.

FORMER FLYING TIGERS UP ON THE FARM ... Brennan Boesch was promoted to Detroit on April 23 as Carlos Guillen went on the 15-Day disabled list ... Erie’s Trevor Feeney struck out eight in eight innings last night in a 3-1 loss to South Bend.

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS:
Detroit (9-8, 2nd place, 4-6 last ten games)
Toledo (9-7, 2nd place, 6-4 last ten games)
Erie (5-10, last place, 5-5 last ten games)
Lakeland (8-7, 4th place, 6-4 last ten games)
West Michigan (6-10, 7th place, 4-6 last ten games)

BLASTS FROM THE PAST ... Many ex-Flying Tigers are extending their pro careers in independent baseball leagues, including: Chad Linder, who has signed with the Shreveport-Bossier Captains of the American Association; Several ex-Lakelanders have signed with Atlantic League teams: Randy Leek is in his fourth season while is in his third year with the Long Island Ducks; Nook Logan, who is back in baseball after taking a year off, now plays for the Newark Bears; Kody Kirkland is with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs; Jordan Newton is with the New Jersey Jackals and Alex Trezza is with the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am League; Justin Justice is with the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks while Chris Homer pitches for the Lake County Fielders in the Northern League.

THAT’S A LOTTA BASEBALL ... Kannapolis downed Rome 3-2 in a 20-inning contest on April 20 in the South Atlantic League. The score was tied 2-2 in the 7th and stayed that way until Kannapolis scored with two out in the top of the 20th. The two teams left a combined 23 runners on base and used a total of ten pitchers. The game took just 4:41 to play compared to the 6:06 it took for Lakeland to defeat Daytona in 20 innings back on 6/29/08.
__________

Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Mission Notes for Clearwater Series (April 21-23)

THE FLYING TIGERS (7-5, second place, 1/2 GB) ... Winners of two in a row and six of the last seven, Lakeland is now a half game behind Clearwater in the North Division. The Flying Tigers swept two more games from Brevard County at home on Sunday and Tuesday (Monday was rained out and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on June 17) to improve to 5-0 against the Manatees. Tuesday’s heros included newcomer Daniel Fields who tripled with the bases loaded in the first inning while Kody Kaiser had three hits including a pair of doubles. Rawley Bishop is tops on the team with a .314 average while Bryan Pounds is second at .282 and Alden Carrithers third with a .276 mark. As a team, Lakeland is batting .210 with a 2.60 ERA.

CLEARWATER (8-5, 1st place) ... The Threshers have dropped two of their last three including a 3-0 shutout at the hands of Tampa on Tuesday. Matt Rizzotti leads Clearwater with a .351 average (9th in the FSL) while Steve Susdorf is at .333 on the season. Other with hot bats in limited duty include Fidel Hernandez (.379, 8 GP), Korby Mintken (.450, 7 GP), and Joel Naughton (.320, 7 GP). Clearwater is batting .270 with a 2.25 ERA.

SHARK BITES ... Fidel Hernandez is 7x14 (.500) in his last four games ... Korby Mintken has seven hits in 10 at bats (.700) the last three games ... Despite going 0x3 on Tuesday, Steve Susdorf is batting .476 (10x21) in his last seven games.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...

WEDNESDAY (H) - Brayan Villarreal (1-1, 2.89)
... Struck out eight in 4.0 IP loss vs. Tampa in 2010 debut. Followed that with nine strikeouts in 5.1 innings in second outing against Clearwater on 4/15 retiring 13 straight before walking a batter. He allowed one hit and one earned run in that game. His 17 strikeouts is second among Detroit minor league pitchers.

THURSDAY (A) - Adam Wilk (0-2, 4.82)
... Worked 4.0 innings in his first outing allowing a pair of runs on four hits on 4/11 vs Tampa and six runs (three earned) in 5.1 innings in his second outing on 4/16 at Clearwater.

FRIDAY - (H) - Charlie Furbush (1-1, 4.22) ... Has struck out seven in each of his two outings this season, but had two different outcomes. In his first outing on 4/12, he held Brevard County to four hits in 5.2 shutout innings, but gave up five earned runs on seven hits in a 5.0 inning loss at Clearwater on 4/17.

THE SERIES ... The Threshers took two of the three games played on April 15-17 holding the Flying Tigers to four runs and eight hits in each game. Lakeland took the opener 4-1 behind a nine strikeout performance by Brayan Villarreal.

BRAVO, OLIVEROS ... Reliever Lester Oliveros is a perfect five for five in save opportunities in his last five outings and is tied for the league lead. Going one inning in each of the five appearances, Oliveros has allowed five hits, and one run, but has struck out eight and walked none. He now has 34 career saves in his five seasons and is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA on the 2010 season.

THE ONLY CERTAIN IS CHANGE ... Lakeland manager Andy Barkett has yet to repeat a starting lineup through 12 games this season. Four different players have batted in the lead-off slot while the only player that seems locked into a slot is Gustavo Nunez who had hit in the two-hole in each of his 11 games played.

PITCHING DUELS? ... The Flying Tigers enter this series ranked second in the FSL with a 2.60 team ERA while the Threshers are third with a 2.72 mark. Clearwater leads the FSL with 105 strikeouts and Lakeland is second with 98. Opponents are hitting .213 against Clearwater and .230 against Lakeland.

GRAB THE EARLY LEAD ... Lakeland is 7-0 when scoring first and 6-0 when leading after five innings, but 1-4 when trailing.

FLYING HIGH ... Rawley Bishop has hits in four straight games and six of his last seven with four multi-hit games. He is hitting .435 (10x23) during that streak ... Kody Kaiser, who has four multi-hit games this season, is hitting .345 (10x29) in his last seven games, including a 3x5 effort with two doubles on Tuesday ... Gustavo Nunez, who also has four multi-hit games, is batting .350 (7x20) his last five games ... Pitchers Ramon Garcia, Matt Hoffman, Anthony Shawler and Tyler Stohr all have yet to allow a run.

FORMER FLYING TIGERS UP ON THE FARM ... Brennan Boesch leads the organization with a .360 average while Danny Worth (.349) and Brent Dlugach (.345) are second and third, respectively. All three play for Toledo. Audy Ciriaco (hand injury) was activated from the disabled list for Erie, but Santo De Leon was cut to make room on the AA Erie roster.

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS: Detroit (7-7, 2nd, dropped two straight and 4-6 last ten games) ... Toledo (8-5, tied for first, 7-3 last ten games) ... Erie (4-8, 5th, winners of four straight) ... Lakeland (5-5, tied for 2nd, lost two straight) ... West Michigan (5-8, 6th, losers of three straight).

BLASTS FROM THE PAST ... Many ex-Flying Tigers are extending their pro careers in independent baseball leagues, including: Chad Linder, who has signed with the Shreveport-Bossier Captains of the American Association; Several ex-Lakelanders have signed with Atlantic League teams: Randy Leek is in his fourth season while is in his third year with the Long Island Ducks; Nook Logan, who is back in baseball after taking a year off, now plays for the Newark Bears; Kody Kirkland is with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs; Jordan Newton is with the New Jersey Jackals and Alex Trezza is with the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am League; Justin Justice is with the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks while Chris Homer pitches for the Lake County Fielders in the Northern League.

THAT’S A LOTTA BASEBALL ... Kannapolis downed Rome 3-2 in a 20-inning contest last night in the South Atlantic League. The score was tied 2-2 in the 7th and stayed that way until Kannapolis scored with two out in the top of the 20th. The two teams left a combined 23 runners on base and used a total of ten pitchers. The game took just 4:41 to play compared to the 6:06 it took for Lakeland to defeat Daytona in 20 innings back on 6/29/08.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS ... The ZOOperstars will entertain the crowd on Saturday, April 24 with fireworks to follow the game.
__________

Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (April 18-20)

THE FLYING TIGERS (5-5, tied for second place) ... Lakeland rallied late in Saturday's game but couldn't pull out the victory losing to Clearwater 5-4. The Flying Tigers continue to put up good numbers on the mound as the team is second in the FSL with a 2.72 ERA and is in a three-way tie for the league lead with 81 staff strikeouts. Control is evident in the fact that Lakeland has walked just 23 batters (third fewest in the FSL) and has had just one wild pitch. Conversely, the team's offensive struggles in the opening series with Tampa has the team batting average at .199 - lowest in the FSL. Lakeland is tied with Brevard County for second in the league with 12 stolen bases.

BREVARD COUNTY (4-6, 5th place)
... The Manatees are coming off a 10-1 loss to Dunedin on Saturday. Michael Fiers is expected to take the mound on Sunday. Fiers has struck out 11 and walked four while allowing just six hits with a 0.82, but has not been involved in a decision in his two starts. Brevard County is ninth in the FSL with a .228 team batting average and is the only team in the league not to have homered as of yet. The team is tied for second with Lakeland with 12 stolen bases but Manatee runners have been thrown out a league worst five times. Their staff ERA of 4.04 ranks ninth in the FSL.

HOT AND COLD MANATEES
... Brock Kjeldgaard had at least one hit in his first eight games and has now hit in nine of his 10 games played ... Sergio Miranda has hit safely in his last six games and is 8x21 (.381) during that stretch ... Anderson De La Rosa is in an 0x16 slump.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...

SUNDAY - Luke Putkonen (0-1, 5.40)
... Worked 3.2 innings in first outing allowing six hits and three earned runs in loss at Tampa on opening night on 4/08 ... 4.2 innings in a no decision on 4/13 at Brevard County. Allowed just three hits but walked four ... third round pick out of North Carolina in 2007.

MONDAY - Mark Sorenson (1-0, 1.74)
... Struck out five in 5.0 IP in 2010 debut in win over Tampa on 4/9 ... Recorded seven K and two walks in second start on 4/14 against Brevard County, allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits.

TUESDAY - Brayan Villarreal (1-1, 2.89)
... Struck out eight in 4.0 IP loss vs. Tampa in 2010 debut ... Followed that with nine K in 5.1 IP in second outing against Clearwater on 4/15 retiring 13 straight before walking a batter. Allowed one hit and one earned run. His 17 strikeouts leads the FSL thru Saturday night's games.

THE SERIES
... Lakeland swept the Manatees in a three-game series on April 12-14 at Brevard County. Charlie Furbush struck out seven while holding the Manatees to four hits in 5.2 innings as the Flying Tigers took the opener 2-0. Ben Guez doubled in a pair of runs in the top of the eighth to lift Lakeland to a 3-2 in game two. Bryan Pounds snapped an 0x15 slump with five base hits while Lakeland pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts in an 8-3 win in game three to complete the series sweep.

THROWING HEAT
... Brayan Villarreal leads the FSL with 17 strikeouts while Charlie Furbush is tied for third with 14 K's ... Villarreal also ranks first with a 16.39 strikeouts per nine inning ratio. Furbush is fifth with 11.81 per nine innings ... Matt Hoffman ranks second among the league's relievers with a .053 opponents batting average.

NOW IN THE FIELD: FIELDS
... Lakeland added Daniel Fields from extended spring to take the roster spot vacated by Ben Guez's promotion to AAA Toledo. Fields was a sixth round pick last season out of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School. The son of former Tiger Bruce Fields, Dan was named the ninth best prospect, fastest baserunner and best athlete in the Tiger organization in 2009 by Baseball America. He hit .596 with 50 runs scored, 13 homers, 43 RBI and 30 stolen bases as a senior.

FLYING HIGH
... Bryan Pounds is hitting .647 (11x17) his last four games. His season mark of .344 is third best in the organization ... Rawley Bishop has had two hits in three of his last six games and is 7x16 (.438) during that span ... Kody Kaiser has had two base hits in three of his last five games has is 7x21 (.333) over that period ... Bill Nowlin is 5x15 (.333) his last four games ... Gustavo Nunez is 4x12 (.333) his last three games .... Lester Oliveros has picked up saves in each of his last three appearances and has not allowed a run in four outings this season. Ramon Garcia has not allowed a run and only four hits in his last four appearances and 7.2 innings pitched ... Matt Hoffman has allowed just one hit in 6.2 innings over his last three outings ... Anthony Shawler has also not been scored upon in his 5.2 innings over four appearances ... Tyler Stohr is another effective reliever with a 1-0 mark and a 0.00 ERA in 5.0 IP over three outings ... starter Mark Sorenson is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA with 12 strikeouts and just two walks in 10.1 innings.

FLYING TIGERS UP ON THE FARM
... Scott Sizemore is hitting .300 in nine games for the big club ... Brennan Boesch is batting .333 with a team best 12 RBI for Toledo. Brent Dlugach leads the Mud Hens with a .395 average while Danny Worth and Will Rhymes are batting .364 and .344, respectively. Alfredo Figaro is 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA while Jay Sborz has four saves at the AAA level ... Not many highlights for Erie with a .162 team batting average and just one win ... Mike Gosse is batting .323 for West Michigan. Trevor Feeney is 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA and 10 Kís and one walk in 13.0 IP for the Whitecaps.

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS:
Detroit (6-5, 2nd, dropped two straight) ... Toledo (3-4, 2nd, winners of three in row) ... Erie (1-8, last, beat Altoona, 6-5, last night for their first win) ... Lakeland (5-5, tied for 2nd, lost two straight) ... West Michigan (5-5, tied for 5th, winners of two straight).

INSIDE THE FSL
... Clearwater has the league's best record at 7-3 while Fort Myers is off to a 2-7 start ... Palm Beach's Jose Garcia leads the league with a .441 average while Dunedin's Travis d'Arnaud is second with a .425 mark ... Bradenton is hitting .309 as a team - tops in the FSL ... St. Lucie has hit a league best 10 homers in nine games while Brevard County is still looking for its first home run of the season ... the league is hitting .245 with a 3.62 ERA.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
... The Tuesday, April 20th game will be an Education Day with the first pitch scheduled for 10:30 a.m ... The ZOOperstars will entertain the crowd on Saturday, April 24 with the Walk for Wishes and Fireworks also taking place.\
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Views expressed in "Mission Notes" are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Mission Notes vs. Clearwater (Apr. 15-17)

THE FLYING TIGERS (4-3, tied for second place) ... Lakeland busted out of its offensive slump in a big way on Wednesday knocking out 13 hits in downing Brevard 8-3 to sweep the three game series. Bryan Pounds lived up to his name by knocking out five base hits to become just the 11th Lakeland player in the last 15 years to collect five hits in a game. The outburst snapped an 0-15 start to the season by the Flying Tigers’ third baseman. Lakeland took game one of the series 2-0 behind the pitching of Charlie Furbush who struck out seven in 5-2/3 innings. Game two went down to the wire with Ben Guez doubling in a pair runs in the top of the eighth en route to a 3-2 win.

CLEARWATER (5-2, 1st place) ... The Threshers are coming off a 7-3 win over Tampa on Wednesday taking the series two games to one. Korby Mintken and Steve Susdorf each had three hits to pace the 12-hit Clearwater attack. Derrick Mitchell leads the club with a .417 average while Matt Rizzotti is hitting at a .409 clip. Mintken (.357) and Cody Overbeck (.346) are also carrying hot bats for the Threshers who are hitting .295 as a team.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS ...
THURSDAY (H) - Brayan Villarreal (0-1, 4.50) ... Villarreal took the loss against Tampa on April 10 despite striking out eight and walking none over four innings. Signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2005, Lakeland is Villarreal’s sixth team over the last five seasons.
FRIDAY (A) - Adam Wilk (0-1, 4.50) ... Wilk took the loss on April 11 against Tampa matching Brayan Villarreal’s numbers with four hits allowed and two runs (both earned). An 11th round pick out of Cal State Long Beach (known as the “Dirtbags”), Wilk was the 2005 High School Division II player of the year.
SATURDAY (A) - Charlie Furbush (1-0, 0.00) ... Furbush tossed 5.2 shutout innings on April 12 at Brevard County to pick up the win. The Tiger’s fourth-round pick out of LSU in 2007, Furbush struck out seven and walked one while holding the Manatees to four hits. Last season, Furbush faced the Threshers on July 6 blanking Clearwater over six innings with five strikeouts and no walks while allowing four hits.

THE SERIES ... Clearwater held a 10-6 margin in the series played in 2009, including four of the last six meetings.

ROAD TRIP GOOD TO LAKELAND ... After scoring in just one of their first four games and posting a .129 team batting average, Lakeland swept Brevard County in a three-game series outscoing the Manatees, 13-5 and hitting .235 as a team. The pitching staff posted a 1.33 ERA in the series and held the Manatees to a .198 average at the plate.

SOLID BULLPEN WORK ... The Flying Tigers bullpen has allowed just one earned run in last 23.1 innings of work and only two runs in 27.1 innings all season.

BREAK OUT THE “K” CARDS ... Fans may want to start posting K’s on the bleacher railings as the Flying Tiger staff is averaging just over eight strikeouts per game. Starter Mark Sorenson leads all Detroit minor leaguers with 12 punch outs while Brayan Villarreal mowed down eight and Charlie Furbush rang up seven in their first starts of the season.

UNDER TWO ... A solid bullpen coupled with a strong starting rotation has enabled the Flying Tigers to post a very respectable 1.92 staff ERA – tops in the FSL. The staff has also struck out 57 batters so far which is second in league to the Clearwater staff’s total of 64 K’s. All this comes without the services of one Casey Crosby, Detroit’s 2009 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, who is currently on Lakeland’s disabled list.

FLYING HIGH ... Bryan Pounds is coming off a 5x5 game ... Rawley Bishop is 4x6 his last two games ... Alden Carrithers is 3x8 over the past two games.

WHERE FORTH ARE THOUGH, LONG BALL? ... Last season, Lakeland was fifth in the league with 70 homers. This year Andy Bouchie has the only round-tripper for the Flying Tigers. Bouchie’s shot is the only homer Lakeland fans have seen as the Lakeland pitching staff has yet to surrender a home run to any opposing player.

LINE-UP SEARCH ... Flying Tigers’ manager Andy Barkett is still tweaking his line-up and has used seven different batting orders in the first seven games of the season. The number six spot has seen the most new faces with six different players batting in that place in the order.

WHAT’S A GUY TO DO? ... Usually, making a league’s all-star team would earn a player a promotion. Clearwater’s Tim Kennelly (out of Perth, Australia) was named to both the 2009 mid-season and post-season FSL All-Star teams while Fidel Hernandez was a mid-FSL season all-star. Both players find themselves back in the FSL for an encore performance.

KEEP HIM OFF THE BASES ... Thresher outfielder Anthony Gose led all of the minor league baseball last season with 76 stolen bases.

HEY CUZ ... Clearwater’s D’Arby Myers is a cousin of the NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal.

FLYING TIGERS UP ON THE FARM ... Will Rhymes leads AAA Toledo with a .368 average (second among Detroit minor leaguers) while Brennan Boesch and Brent Dlugach are each hitting .345. ... Mike Gosse is tops in the organization with a .409 average at West Michigan.

ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS: Detroit (6-3, 1st) ... Toledo (3-4, tied for 2nd) ... Erie (0-7, last) ... Lakeland (4-3, tied for 2nd) ... West Michigan (3-4, tied for 5th)

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS ... Thursday’s game is Wing Ding with area restaurants competing in a wing contest starting at 6 p.m. ... The Tuesday, April 20th game will be an Education Day with the first pitch scheduled for 10:30 a.m ... The ZOOperstars will entertain the crowd on Saturday, April 24 with the Walk for Wishes and Fireworks also taking place.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Mission Notes vs. Brevard County (Apr. 12-14)

THE FLYING TIGERS (1-4) ... Lakeland may have to revive the old Bat Signal from the 1960s TV show as the bats have been missing through the first four games of the season. Hitting just .129 against the Tampa Yankees in a four-game set to open the season, the Flying Tigers find themselves off to a 1-4 start.

BREVARD COUNTY (2-2) ... The Manatees got off to a great start shutting out Daytona in back-to-back games to start the season (including tossing a one-hitter in the season opener), but the Cubs came back to take a 7-4 win in 12 innings and then doubled up Brevard County 10-5 on Sunday to drop the Manatees to 2-2 on the season. Brock Kjeldgaard is off to a hot start, going 6-for-17 in the first four games for a .353 average. The Canadian born first baseman has hit safely in each of the first four games this season. Kentral Davis is also above .300 at .333 after picking up five singles in 15 at bats.

LAKELAND PROBABLE STARTERS:

MONDAY - Charlie Furbush (2009: 6-7, 3.96 at Lakeland) ... This will mark Furbush’s first start of the season, although he did start an exhibition game against Southeastern University on April 7. In that game Furbush retired the first 12 batters in order and struck out eight while allowing only one hit and walking none against the NAIA Fire. Last season in Lakeland, Furbush was 4-4 with a 4.64 ERA at the all-star break, but was just 2-3 in the second half while lowering his ERA to 3.32. He was 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in three starts against Brevard County last season. Originally a fourth round by the Tigers out of LSU in 2007, Furbush sat out the 2008 season with a left elbow strain.

TUESDAY - Luke Putkonen (2009: 7-8, 3.13 ERA at West Michigan) ... Putkonen will be making his second start for Lakeland having taken the mound in the season opener. In that game, the Tigers’ third-round pick in 2007 out of UNC, gave up three runs in 3.2 innings on six hits, but struck out three and walked one in taking the loss.

WEDNESDAY - Mark Sorenson (2009: 9-4, 3.63 with West Michigan and Lakeland) ... The Tigers’ 32nd-round pick in the 2008 draft out of Michigan State, Sorenson owns Lakeland’s lone win this season working five shutout innings against Tampa on April 9 in Lakeland’s homer opener. Sorenson, the son of former major leaguer and Tiger broadcaster Lary Sorenson, struck out fibe, walked none and allowed five hits in his five frames. Last season, Sorenson made one start against the Manatees and was tagged for four runs on seven hits in just 2.1 innings, but Lakeland rallied back to take an 8-5 win with a six-run seventh inning.

THE SERIES ... The two clubs met 14 times last season with the Manatees holding a 8-6 edge. The May 16 game brings back grand memories for Lakeland fans as Audy Ciriaco hit a walk-off grand slam to lift Lakeland to a 10-6 win in front of 4,718 fans on Bright House Networks night. For Ciriaco it was the first of three grand slams he hit in 2009 as he also went yard with the bases full on May 26 at home against Jupiter and on July 7 on the road at Clearwater. The Manatees will be glad to see Ciriaco has moved up to AA as the shortstop had 10 RBI in the 2009 series.

LAKELAND’S LAST GAME ... The Flying Tigers were shutout 3-0 at home on Sunday in the final game of a four-game series with Tampa. It was the second straight game Lakeland has been shutout and third time in four games so far this season.

NO “O” EQUALS LOTS OF “O’S”
... Lakeland has now played in 35 innings over the four games and scored in just two of those innings, posting three runs in each of the first and third innings against Tampa on Friday night.

NO “E’s”
... On the plus side, Lakeland’s defense has been perfect so far with no errors in the four games so far in 2009.

ARM STRENGTH ... The Lakeland pitching staff has looked strong so far posting a 2.38 ERA to rank fifth in the Florida State League. The staff has recorded 29 strikeouts and walked just seven in 34 innings pitched. The pitching corps also has one of seven shutouts posted by FSL teams so far in 2009. Lakeland’s 2.38 ERA is the best among the four Detroit minor league clubs in 2009.

FIRST ROUNDER ... Brevard County’s Kentrail Davis was the Brewers’ number one pick in the 2009 draft out of the University of Tennessee.

SEMINOLE OR BREWER? ... Manatee shortstop Brent Brewer, who may seemed destined to play for Milwaukee with the matching last name, originally signed a national letter of intent to play football at Florida State. He choose baseball instead when he was drafted in the second round of the 2006 draft by Milwaukee.

DIRTBAGS UNITE! ... Lakeland’s Adam Wilk and Brevard County’s Matt Cline were teammates in 2007 at Cal State Long Beach, whose baseball team is known as the “Dirtbags”.

WHILE WE’RE ON NICKNAMES ... The Manatees’ Erik Miller played junior college baseball for Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. The team nickname? The Fighting Artichokes.

LOOKING FOR WORK? ... Bring your resume to the Flying Tigers’ game at Brevard County on Monday and you’ll receive $1 admission to the game. Local companies will be set up around the concourse to discuss employment opportunities. Tuesday is Kraft Singles Night with buy one admission, get one free with Kraft Singles package wrapper. Wednesday is Education Day with the game getting underway at 10:35 a.m.

FLYING TIGERS UP ON THE FARM ... Detroit is off to a 5-1 start with ex-Lakeland hurlers Jeremy Bonderman, Eddie Bonine, Rick Porcello and Joel Zumaya each picking up wins ... Toledo is 1-3 but former Flying Tiger Ryan Strieby is hitting .357 to lead the Mud Hens. Fellow Lakeland alums Brennan Boesch, Brent Dlugach, Max Leon and Danny Worth are all hitting over .300 for Toledo ... Erie is winless so far and is hitting just .126 as a team. Thad Weber pitched five solid innings giving up two runs (one earned) while striking out three in his debut on April 11 ... West Michigan is also 1-3 on the season. Ex-Lakelander Mike Gosse has five hits in 10 at bats so far to lead the Tigers’ organizaion with a .500 mark while Eric Roof, brother of former Flying Tiger Shawn Roof, is hitting .400 so far. Avisail Garcia, who made a very brief stop in Lakeland last season, is hitting .333. One of Garcia’s three games played was as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth against Brevard County on May 7. With Michael Bertram on third, the Manatees’ John Axford uncorked a wild pitch to Garcia and Bertram scooted home for the winning run.
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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Mission Notes vs. Tampa (Apr. 8-11)

THE FLYING TIGERS (2009: 55-75) ... Lakeland finished 11.5 games out of first place in the opening half of 2009 and then struggled to a 26-39 second half mark to finish 20.5 games out of first over the second half of the season.

TAMPA (2009: 77-56) ... Like the Flying Tigers, the Yankees finished 11.5 games out of first in the first half of 2009, but unlike Lakeland, vaulted to the top of the standings with a 47-19 record to win the second half by 6.5 games. Tampa then went on to take the championship of the Florida State League three games to two over the Charlotte Stone Crabs.

FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS ...
LAKELAND - Mark Sorenson (2009: 9-4, 3.63) ... was 8-2 with a 2.44 ERA in 14 starts for West Michigan and 1-2 in seven starts for Lakeland in 2009 ... 32nd round pick of the Tigers in 2008 out of Michigan State ... son of former major leaguer and Tiger broadcaster Lary Sorenson.
TAMPA - Andrew Brackman (2009: 2-12, 5.91 ERA) ... 2-12 last year for Charleston in the South Atlantic League, but struck out 103 batters in 106.2 IP ... Yankee’s 1st round pick in 2007 draft out of North Carolina State ... struck out 149 in 149.1 career innings for the Wolfpack ... also played two years on the NC State basketball team ... posted a 1.04 career ERA at Moeller High in Cincinnati - seventh best total in Ohio history.

THE SERIES ... The two clubs face each other 20 times in 2009 with the Yankees coming out on top in 13 of those contests. It was the most wins by Tampa over any FSL team last season.

LAST NIGHT ... Tampa’s Hector Noesi struck out six and held Lakeland to a pair of hits while Brandon Braboy struck out three more over the final three frames as the Yankees shutout Lakeland 4-0 at Steinbrenner Field. Ben Guez doubled while Alden Carrithers added a single for the Flying Tiger’s lone hits. Carrithers did produce one highlight last night swiping a pair of bases.

MANAGER ANDY BARKETT ... The Flying Tigers are managed by Andy Barkett who is returning for his third season at the helm and his fourth in the organization. Barkett enters the season with a 122-145 record in his two previous seasons in Lakeland and has a 166-177 career managerial record. He began with the Oneonta Tigers in 2008 following an 11-year playing career, including 17 games in the majors as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

SEASON OPENER ... This is the eighth year in a row the Flying Tigers have opened the season with the Tampa Yankees. With the Yankees’ win last night, the two clubs have now split those eight games. Last night was the first time Lakeland opened the season on the road since 2005 ... The Flying Tigers are 5-1 in home openers and have won three straight.

YANKEES ... Andrew Brackman the Yankees’ top pick (30th overall) in the 2007 draft out of NC State ... Daniel Kapala went to Notre Dame ... Catcher Myron Leslie and shortstop Addison Maruszak both played collegiately at the University of South Florida.

LOTS OF PAWS ... Over 1280 players have played for Lakeland since 1963. Ron Marigny played in the most games with 371 over five seasons.

MAKE UP YOUR MIND, WILL YA? ... Yankee pitcher Pat Venditte can throw with both arms. His ability forced the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation to create a rule regarding ambidextrous pitchers on July 2, 2008, that stated that a “pitcher must visually indicate to the umpire, batter and runner(s) which way he will begin pitching to the batter.” He uses a special six-finger glove on the mound that allows the switch.

ACTIVE LAKELAND ROSTER BREAKDOWN:
OLDEST: Ramon Garcia (26 years, 5 months)
YOUNGEST: Matt Hoffman (22 years, 4 months)
TALLEST: Putkonen (6’6”)
SHORTEST: Carrithers, Jaime, and Kaiser (all listed at 5’9”)
LEFT HANDED PITCHERS (5): Conn, Furbush, Garcia,
Hoffman, Wilk
SWITCH HITTTERS (5): Jaime, Kaiser, Nunez, White, Wyatt
NEWCOMERS (18 - Did not play at Lakeland in 2009):
Bishop, Bouchia, Carrithers, Conn, Crichton, Garcia, Guez, Jaime, Murrian, Nowlin, Nunez, Pounds, Putknonen, Shawler, Stohr, Villarreal, Wilk, Wyatt
RETURNING PLAYERS (7 - played in Lakeland in 2009):
Furbush, Hoffman, Kaiser, Oliveros, Sorenson,White, Workman

BEEN AROUND A WHILE ... The 2010 season marks the 44th season as a Tigers affiliate for Lakeland, the second longest affiliation in all of Minor League Baseball. The season also marks Lakeland’s 58th season in the Florida State League. Lakeland is an original member of the FSL, which was established in 1919.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK ... The Bradenton Marauders, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, join the FSL this season after the Pirates purchased the Sarasota franchise. Bradenton plays its home games at McKechnie Field. As Nuke LaLoosh would say, the Marauders “announced their presence with authority” winning their inaugural FSL game by an 18-3 score over Ft. Myers as Jeremy Farrell drove in seven runs, including a pair of homers.

LAKELAND PROMO HIGHLIGHTS ... The ZOOperstars “the fastest growing entertainment act in the country” brings their act to Lakeland on April 24 ... Bright House Network Night takes place on May 22 ... Red, White and Blue BBQ is the theme of the annual July 4 Fireworks extravaganza.

FORMER MUD HEN LEAVES FSL ... St. Lucie welcomes back Edgar Alfonzo as their new manager. Alfonzo served as the Mets’ hitting coach in 2002 and was the Savannah Sand Gnats manager last season. He replaces former Toledo Mud Hen, Tim Teufel, who is now with the Binghamton Mets.

IN ALL IN THE NAME ... Some quirky names from the FSL ... Do you think Clearwater’s Brian Gump might be nicknamed “Bubba” or “Forrest”? ... Ya just gotta like Dunedin’s Boomer Potts ... The Miracle have a pitcher named Shooter Hunt ... Does the Yankees’ Brandon Braboy work at Victoria’s Secret in the off season?

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Views expressed in “Mission Notes” are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

A look at the 2010 Flying Tigers Roster

Pitching looks to be a strong point for the 2010 Flying Tigers and the ace of the staff could be Casey Crosby. A fifth round pick in 2007, Crosby came back from left elbow reconstructive surgery to become the Tigers' 2009 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Crosby was 10-4 with a 2.41 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 104.2 innings pitched at West Michigan. The 117 strikeouts was third best in the Detroit minor league organization.

Other West Michigan hurlers that will join the Lakeland staff for 2010 include: Tyler Conn, who tossed 92.0 innings with a 3.21 ERA, 62 K and just 18 walks in 2009. Conn was a first-team All-American closer at Southern Mississippi with 18 saves ... Erik Crichton was a perfect 7-0 with a pair of saves and a 3.99 ERA last season. Out of Oral Roberts University, Crichton overcame right elbow surgery in 2008 to post his unblemished season in 2009 ... Luke Putkonen, a third-round pick in 2007, was just 7-8 at West Michigan but had a 3.13 ERA (third best in the organization) and 115 strikeouts (4th best in the organization) ... Anthony Shawler, who was 7-5 with a 3.76 ERA in 107.2 innings pitched with 98 K's last season. Shawler was named Oneonta's pitcher of the year in 2008 ... Tyler Stohr, who as 3-4 with an organization-best 19 saves and a 3.54 ERA and 55 K's as West Michigan's closer. Stohr was a 6th round pick in 2008 out of the Univ. of North Florida and now has 31 saves in two years with the organization ... Brayan Villarreal, who was 5-5 with a 2.87 ERA with 118 K (2nd best in the organization) in 103.1 IP. This will be Villarreal's fifth year in the Tigers' organization ... Adam Wilk, who was 2-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 36.1 innings. Wilk was an 11th round pick out of Cal State Long Beach whose baseball team is known as the "Dirtbags".

Returning Flying Tiger pitchers include: Charlie Furbush (6-7, 3.96 ERA, 93 K); Matt Hoffman (3-7, 6.79 ERA); Lester Oliveros (4-2, 4.17 ERA); and Mark Sorenson (1-2, 6.88 ERA). Scott Green (3-4, 3.25, 11 saves) and Austin Wood (just 5.0 IP in 2009) will start the season the season on the disabled list.

Two new catchers will be behind the plate as Andy Bouchie and John Murrian join Lakeland. Bouchie was a 7th round pick of the Brewers in 2006 and played last season for Brevard County. Murrian was a 9th round pick last season of Detroit's and was a mid-season all-star pick for Oneonta in 2009. His .296 average was seventh best among Detroit minor leaguers.

New infielders include: Rawley Bishop, who joined Murrian on the New York Penn League's mid-season all-star team. A 19th round pick out of Middle Tennessee State, Murrian set MTSU career records for homers, run scored, RBI and hit by pitches ... Alden Carrithers, who was the GCL Tigers Player of the Year in 2008 with a .316 average. He hit .307 last year at West Michigan ... Billy Nowlin, who was an all-star last season at West Michigan after hitting .311 with 130 hits, 29 doubles and 13 homers. His .311 average was second in the Detroit organization while his 77 RBI was second best ... Bryan Pounds, who hit .284 (10th best in the organization) with 97 hits, 27 doubles and 60 RBI for the Whitecaps in 2009 ... Brent Wyatt, who hit .242 with 115 hits and 23 doubles at West Michigan. His 23 stolen bases was the fourth most recorded by any Detroit minor leaguer last season.

Returning to the Lakeland infield are Carmelo Jaime and Gustavo Nunez who each played for the Flying Tigers in 2008. Nunez swiped 48 bases for the Whitecaps in 2009 (tops among Detroit minor leaguers) while collecting 146 base hits and a .315 average. His .309 average ranked 4th among all Detroit minor leaguers.

The only newcomer in the outfielder is Ben Guez, who hit .275 at West Michigan with 111 hits including 34 doubles, 7 triples and 12 home runs. Returning to Lakeland are Kody Kaiser (.267, 5 HR), Chris White (.235, 14 SB) and Josh Workman (.297). Kyle Peter (.222, 13 stolen bases) will start the season on the DL.

The coaching staff returns intact with Andy Barkett at the helm for his third year at Lakeland. Barkett is 122-145 in his two previous seasons with the Flying Tigers. Back as hitting coach is Larry Herndon for his sixth straight season in Lakeland while Joe Coleman is back for a fourth year as the pitching coach.

Fans can get their first look at the 2010 Flying Tigers on Wednesday, April 7 when they take on Southeastern University in a 7-inning game starting at 6 p.m. Tickets are only $2. Lakeland will open the 2010 season in Tampa on April 8 before returning home on Friday, April 9 at 7:00 pm against the Tampa Yankees. The first 1,500 fans will receive a 2010 Flying Tigers magnet schedule and BirdZerk will entertain fans during the game with fireworks following the game.