Heels On The Field: A Baseball Blog

Updates On Yankees Prospects Craig Heyer And Austin Romine [Tony Franklin Quotes]

Here are some pre-game quotes from Thunder manager Tony Franklin.

On pitcher Craig Heyer:

"He's got a hand issue. He's gone to see the doctor and gotten an x-ray and we're just kind of waiting for the results."

"This happened some time ago and he's pitched with it. He complained about it from time to time, but it didn't affect his pitching."

When asked about the roster spot he said, "We're going to have to do something."

On catcher Austin Romine's progress:

"I'll tell you how good he's doing- I don't notice him. Particularly on defense and that's a good thing. And when you're catcher isn't being very noticeable, things are going pretty good. You just no longer worry about him. I think we're at that stage. Where as last year, we were focusing on him. Because he was new at that, at this level. It was his first season where he was catching everyday, pretty much. We kept an eye on him. But he's doing a fantastic job with the pitching staff and I can't say enough about the leadership he's displaying. And of course he's hitting. I can't tell you what his average is.What I do know is that he's put some pretty good swings on the ball. He's making some good outs. There's a such thing. It's where he's making them, middle of the field, right side. That makes a difference in the day to day things I see. He wasn't doing all that last year. And there's a lot of progress from last year to this point in the season this year."

 

 

Pitching Focus: Yankees Pitching Prospect Shaeffer Hall

Shaeffer Hall: 2-2, 2.92 ERA, 37 Hits, 15 runs allowed, 12 earned, 2 HR, 3 BB in 37 IP.

The season so far: Right now if I were to say I was pleased with my performances so far or not happy, I'd have to say I'm pleased with the start of the season. After having six starts under my belt, I evaluate each start, I feel like I could do a little better in some starts. But overall I feel pretty pleased.

Fastball Command: I feel reallly good and confident with it. My two-seamer has been working really well for me and I think that's been opening up a lot of the plate for me.

What he's working on the most: I'm just focusing really hard on each pitch during each start and just building off each of those pitches.

Biggest difference between Class-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton: The hitters are definitely more selective. You've got to get in pitcher's counts and that alllows you to work a little easier than if you're 2-0 in the count, they'll just be sitting on pure fastballs. In this league if a hitter gets a fastball, belt-high, right in the middle of the plate he's going to hit it a long way. So at this level if you want to be successful, you've got to work ahead.

Working with pitching coach Tommy Phelps: His main focus with me is working down in the strike zone. We've been working on different scenarios in the game, what I want to throw in certain counts. I can relate to him. He's a lefty and he's pitched at the highest level. He's helped me out a lot.

 

 

A Little Time With Reading Phillies Matt Rizzotti

 

"I feel good. I"m trying to keep it the same as last year...the same mindset. It's been a little different. Teams have their scouting reports now and how to pitch me, so I'm just trying to fight my way through it. Even though they have a scouting report, I need to adjust to that myself"

"[At Triple-A] they just pitch a lot more backwards. In a fastball count you can expect something off-speed, could be curveball or changeup. That was really the main difference. The game is a little bit quicker. I couldn't tell you why the pace is quicker, it just is"

"I got a little taste of it and it gives me something to work for. They put me back here, which is fine, but it gave me that taste where they're like, 'Alright, now you wanna work to get back up there.' "

[When asked if he thinks about being blocked by Ryan Howard] "Nope. I try not to. I can't even say I try not to, I don't. It would just be too much pressure to put on yourself. I had a reporter ask me 'How does it feel to have Ryan Howard in front of you?' I don't compete with a major leaguer. A minor leaguer can't compete with a major leaguer, it's just an impossibility. If I get up there, that'll be fine. But it's like comparing apples to oranges, it just doesn't work"

"Spring training was cool just having the whole experience going up to big league camp and seeing what it's all about. Getting to hang out with all the guys you've seen on TV and the guys that you're told you want to work yourself towards. It was cool to hang out with the guys at that level."

[When asked what he wants to improve the most] "Defense. Defense. Defense. Defense. Defense. Defense...defense. I keep reading all this stuff about how horrible I am on the field. I just want to prove a bunch of people wrong. It may take awhile. But I'm in it to win it."

(To which I responded '"You're in it to win it?" I asked Rizzotti if I could quote him on that.)

"Yeah, sure."

 

Trenton Thunder Hitting Coach Julius Matos Talks Team Offense

Trenton Thunder offensive stats: 176 Hits, 83 Runs, 76 RBI, 79 BB, .303 OBP, .316 SLG.

Trenton Thunder hitting coach Julis Matos addressed some of the team's issues at the plate last week.

"You can really tell the guys who have been here already. Corban Joseph, [Austin] Krum, [Austin] Romine...those guys are making the adjustments right now. They're a little more adapted to the league. The guys that are learning on the job right now, [Bradley] Suttle, {Melky] Mesa, [Jose} Pirella, those guys are still learning a little bit about how to adjust to the league and making the necessary adjustments to hit. They're working hard and doing what they need to do and I suspect it won't be long before they get going. It usualy takes a month or two for those young guy to figure out how to hit and compete at this level."

"The approach [with vets of the league vs. inexperienced players] stays the same, but you've got to go on a case by case basis. There's some guys with two years experience in the league. They know a little more. I probably would trust their judgment and their evaluation of what's going on and give them a little more leeway. But they're all grown men and they've been playing for awhile and know their bodies and what's going on inside better than anyone else. I try not to have it be too different, but, yeah, there are guys who are better able to evaluate and fix problems on their own. There's other guys, like you said, that are younger and need a little more help."

"Romine is just a great hitter. His approach has been excellent. HIs at-bats and game plan has been pretty good up to this point. There's always room for improvement, but he's definitely gone about it the right way."

[When asked about Romine's readiness for tougher pitching in Triple-A) "That's not my call, but I do know he's having good at-bats here. He needs to continue to show consistency day in and day out over a long period of time, and not have those big up and down points that he's had in the past. If he does that, I'm sure he'll be in conversations and something will happen."

"Suttle is very smart guy, very methodical, and process oriented. He's learning and adapting to the league. They're pitching him very tough. He's hitting in the center of the lineup and that takes a little bit of adjusting. He's handling it well."

 

The Best Independent Baseball Blogs and Websites

In year two of this list there are a few adjustments and an expanded playing field.

The Blogs & Websites I chose had to be completely independent of any affiliation (I was more lenient last time), but it remains a top ten.

There are a couple of repeat appearances, but also a few newcomers.

The criteria: Informative, entertaining, creative, and because this is a minor league blog and my main station, any website or blog that offers strong minor league coverage, interviews, and information got more points.

The order is alphabetical, nothing more. They are all the very best in this best of...

 

Top 10 Independent Baseball Blogs & Websites:

A Cardboard Problem - Uniquely written, this blog is a passionate tribute to the fine art of baseball card collecting.

Bleed Cubbie Blue - Excellent interviews highlight this Chicago Cubs site, but it is packed with interesting sections. To name a few standouts: Book reviews, Name That Cub, and their tremendously thorough minor leagues section. A huge asset to the Cubs fan community.

Brew Crew Ball - Visually cool, organized, and loaded with informative sections ('minor league notes' is best), this Milwaukee Brewers blog leaves nothing to want for. The player interviews provided are impressive.

Bus Leagues Baseball - There is a special quality to this blog.  Excellent interviews are the highlight of this blog site that is dedicated to getting to the heart of the minors.

 College Baseball 360 -Superbly done in every area. Notebook, polls, and live coverage are invaluable sources for what is happening at the college level. Statistics are quicky updated. A tremendous gift to followers of college baseball. 

Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Tournament - This site is dedicated to the work that goes on in Mike Coolbaugh's name. The coach died tragically in 2007 after being struck by a ball coaching third base for the Tulsa Drillers. This site is a comfort in some way. His spirit lives on with the wonderful annual memorial tournament and updates fans who want to get involved.

Minor League Blog - Exhaustive coverage of the bus leagues. Links and first-hand reports make this blog a well-rounded read for the more-than-casual follower of minor league baseball.

Orioles Nation - A fantastic trip through Orioles baseball. Orioles Nation official website is packed with information, so much that you can get lost in it. The 'Player Profiles' section is excellent, as is the player video. The blog focuses on prospects - a strong post on Zach Britton's debut broke down his major league debut. O's Nation is an effort that gives loving tribute to their beloved team.

Project Prospect - Tremendous prospect information to be found on this website. A solid source for comprehensive reports on minor leaguers.

True Blue L.A. - One of the most fan-oriented team blogs, it takes the temperature of fans with a confidence poll and invites the Dodgers fan community to post their thoughts with FanPosts.

 

 

 

 

Offensive Focus: New Hampshire Fisher Cats Anthony Gose

Trenton, NJ - Anthony Gose is not feeling bothered by the statistical evidence.

While he's hitting .238 with just four RBI and no home runs, the twenty-one-year old Toronto Blue Jays prospect  is feeling good about the direction he's heading.

He spoke about how he's doing at the plate and what he's working on to improve:

"I'm feeling great I've been feeling good all season. This is actually the best I've felt in any season of pro ball. I know numbers aren't showing much, but the way I feel, the confidence level, and my ability to somewhat control the zone better than I have in the past has been unreal in my standpoint"

"I haven't really been worked up about the numbers because it all balances out at the end of the year. Every year I've gotten off to a slow start, this year it's just been a slow start that's been slower than a slow start. [he said that with a big laugh by the way!] But it's been a good experience for me to make the adjustments and to progress the way I am."

"The guys are more consistent [at this level]. I don't think the guys throw their breaking ball any better, they're just more consistent with it. They're willing to throw it in counts that should be in the hitter's favor."

"The biggest thing right now is working on simplifying my approach. With that I had a mechanical flaw where I was falling back early in the season and now I'm just trying to keep everything level and stay through the ball better."