The 2011 Trenton Thunder's season could be summed up with the word 'eventful.'
Much of it was a good kind of eventful, but there were low notes and struggles that the returning players, and manager Tony Franklin, haven't forgotten.
"At this level you're seeing who you are. Here is where you have an opportunity to improve yourself," Franklin said Tuesday.
The Double-A affiliate of the Yankees ended their season going 4-6 in their last ten games, finishing with a 68-73 record. They led the Eastern League in strikeouts with 1,195.
Aside from statistics, the coaching staff also suffered a shakeup when well-respected hitting coach Julius Matos was suspended, then dismissed, after a confrontation between him and the VERY respected Franklin. It was hard to make heads or tails of it, whether you were in the media or on the team. But with Matos gone, they needed someone to quickly take over hitting coach duties. Justin Pope was in his first year at the coaching level and was assigned the duty. While he handled the responsibility well (clearly, the Yankees hired him to manage Class-A Staten Island), it created a difficult adjustment for some players.
But the team's strengths were especially clear on the mound and behind the plate. With some of the Yankees top prospects showcasing their talent all season, resulting in top guys getting reassigned to Triple-A to begin the season. Catcher Austin Romine, and pitchers Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos inspired plenty of buzz and contributed greatly all season.
Franklin has faith in Jose Gil, last year's backup catcher, now ttaking on the role of every day catcher.
"I think he provides veteran leadership," said Franklin.
Gil,26, hit .253 for Trenton last year with 35 RBI and 33 walks in 73 games.
Longtime pitching coach Tommy Phelps commented positively on the new crop of pitching prospects.
"We've got some good young guys coming in," Phelps said.
Reporter Josh Norris asked him about righty Brett Marshall. Marshall joins the team after spending all of 2011 with High-A Tampa. The twenty-two-year old pitched a career-high 140 innings, going 9-7 and ended the season with a 2.57 ERA.
"[He} has been very good. He's got some good secondary pitches. He moves his fastball around and he has a little savviness to him," Phelps said.
The Yankees Double-A club might not have some of the top prospects in the system this year, but they have plenty of some of the most promising in the organization. Some that need to show the team a lot more this year (Cody Johnson) and some that are brand new and rank high (Zoilo Almonte).
Look for full length interviews with several players from Tuesday's media day at Gotham Baseball. Coming shortly.
Also, throughout the season look for regular Thunder coverage, as well as other Yankees affiliate coverage, from me at Gotham.
The Thunder begin their season Thursday at home, at Waterfront Park, agains the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Shaeffer Hall will be on the mound for the Thunder.
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