June 2010

All-Time Bees: First Base

In the 15.5 years since the Bees returned to Salt Lake City, we have seen hundreds of Twins and Angels prospects take the field wearing the Buzz, Stingers and/or Bees uniforms. In our latest blog series “All-Time Bees,” we take a look at the very best players to play for our favorite Triple-A team. For these rankings, we considered both the player’s career with the Bees as well as their later Major League success.

We begin with first base.
Bees: .303/.394/.578, 38 HR, 159 RBI, 176 R in 151 games.
ML Career: .281/.376/.545, 333 HR, 1115 RBI in 1514 games.
Ortiz tops the list of Bees first basemen and is perhaps also the best overall hitter to ever wear the uniform. During his prime with the Red Sox from 2003 to 2007, Ortiz finished in the top five in MVP balloting each year and won the Silver Slugger Award four out of those five years batting in front of Manny Ramirez. Over that span, Ortiz averaged almost 42 homeruns and 128 RBI, took home two World Championships (2004 and 2007) and developed a reputation as one of the most feared hitters in the game. 
Klauke’s Take: “Ortiz was pretty much the same fun-loving guy when he was here with the Buzz. My favorite David Ortiz story that I like to tell people happened one day when we were down at batting practice David stopped what he was doing, set his bat down on the plate, walked around the cage, took off his hat, put it on my head and said, ‘here, the glare’s bothering me.’ Interestingly, though, he spent most of his games here at first base and not at DH. He still holds the Bees franchise record for most errors in a season by a first baseman.”
Bees: .335/.374/.518, 32 HR, 153 RBI, 52 2B in 208 games.
ML Career: .284/.336/..502, 57 HR, 192 RBI in 330 games.
Despite never playing more than 78 games in a season in Salt Lake, the Cuban Missile never hit below .320 during his stay here. His big league career is still developing and, after his breakout season last year with the Angels where he finished fifth in the AL MVP balloting, he is proving that he is a bone fide big league slugger. It’s quite possible that by the time he is done playing, he can give Big Papi some serious competition for the top of these rankings. 
Klauke’s Take: “Kendry came here with a lot of raw talent. He was one of the star players on the Cuban National team and it took him several chances to finally escape Cuba, but I don’t think he really knew what it would take to be a Major League ball player. It wasn’t until about two and a half years ago that something clicked. I don’t know if someone said something to him or what but he became one of the hardest working players I’ve ever seen here. He got himself in good shape, put together some great numbers, worked hard defensively and obviously last year we saw the fruits of his labor as he became a legitimate MVP candidate for the Angels.”
Bees: .334/.406/.596, 18 HR, 96 RBI, 96 R in 130 games.
ML Career: .256/.335/.410, 66 HR, 405 RBI in 1087 games.
Mientkiewicz is very different than the other two sluggers on this list. While he provided above average offensive numbers, Doug gained a reputation for being one of the finest defensive first basemen in the game as evidenced by his Gold Glove Award in 2001 and .996 career fielding percentage at first base.
Klauke’s Take: “Doug is as intense a person as we’ve ever had wear one of our uniforms. He was always mentally-focused, game in and game out. We’ve had some great defensive first basemen here, Kendry Morales included, but Doug was head-and-shoulders above everybody else was the best defensive first basemen we’ve ever had here in Salt Lake. Not having him for the playoffs in 2000 really hurt the ball club but he was busy out being a hero for the US Olympic team in Sydney where he hit a couple of homeruns and brought home a gold medal.”
Honorable Mention: Andres Galarraga
Bees: .304/.342/.451, 4 HR, 19 RBI in 25 games.
ML Career: .288/.347/.499, 399 HR, 1425 RBI in 2257 games.
In 2004 after his second battle with cancer, the Big Cat spent a month and a half rehabbing in Salt Lake at the age of 43. 
 

Future Bees: June 21-28

The second half of the 2010 Season is underway for the other Angels affiliates with one championship in the books for Cedar Rapids. Arkansas and Rancho Cucamonga hope to improve on their first half finishes of fourth and third place, respectively, and the short-season Orem Owlz and AZL Angels look to start off their seasons on a strong note. 
Here’s a look at how the first week has gone. 

Double-A Arkansas Travelers (2-3, 3rd in TEX North): The Travelers welcomed California League All-Star centerfielder Tyson Auer this week after it was announced that he would be promoted from Rancho Cucamonga. Auer joins Arkansas with an organization-high 42 stolen bases and a .332 batting average. Also in Arkansas are Bees pitchers Will Smith and Trevor Reckling. Former Orioles pitcher Daniel Cabrera has a 2.00 ERA in six relief appearances since joining the Angels organization earlier this month, but is expected to make his first start for the Travelers tonight against the Naturals.

High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (2-2, T1st in CAL South): The Quakes had a strong start on Friday from pitcher Matt Shoemaker who carried a no-hitter into the fifth and allowed only one unearned run over six innings pitched leading to a 7-3 victory over Lake Elsinore. First baseman Gabe Jacobo went 2-for-4 in consecutive games this weekend, with a double, a triple, 2 runs and 2 RBI. 
Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-1, T2nd in MID West): For some reason our phenom Mike Trout happened to have his worst game of the season in the All-Star game–the one game that doesn’t actually count. Trout went 0-for-4 while first baseman Casey Haerther went 0-for-1 with sac fly and pitchers Tyler Skaggs and Mike Kenney both did not allow a run. Three games into the second half of the season, the Kernels find themselves in an unfamiliar position: 2nd place. The last time they were not in first was back in the beginning of April. Pitcher Steven Locke is doing his part to return the Kernels to the top of the standings as he threw an eight inning, three-hit gem on Saturday to help shutout Peoria 6-0.
Rookie Orem Owlz (5-2, T1st in PIO South): After winning five out of the last six Pioneer League Titles, the Owlz enter 2010 with only the highest of expectations. So far they have continued right where they left off in 2009 having won five of seven while outscoring their opponents 53-38. Three pitchers (Aaron Meade, Brian Diemer and Matt Oye) combined to throw a one-hitter on Thursday in Ogden. One guy to keep an eye on in Orem is young centerfielder Travis Witherspoon who has a hit in each of the six games he has played in thus far, hitting .500 (14/28) with four homeruns, 9 runs and 13 RBI over that span which includes a two-homer, seven RBI afternoon Sunday at home. 
Rookie AZL Angels (2-4, 4th in AZL East): The most recent home of current Bees shortstop Jesus Campos features a roster laden with all the rehabbing Angels and new draftees. Some notable names now playing in Tempe include Quakes first baseman Dillon Baird, who is 3-for-6 in his first two games back in the lineup, and recent Angels second-round draft pick infielder Taylor Lindsey who is still looking for his first professional hit (0/9).

Bees Pregame Playlist: Ryan Aldridge and Bobby Cassevah

Our fourth installment of the Bees Player Playlist. Aldridge and Cassevah join forces in this special “country edition” playlist to show you how ball players get pumped in the south.

Ryan Aldridge

Red Dirt Road – Brooks and Dunn – Play

“Back home we would drive around on dirt roads for fun just to hang out with friends. This song reminds me of that.”

Life’s a Dance - Little Texas – Play

“I just like the beat of this song. It’s an old one that I grew up to.”

Should’ve Been a Cowboy – Toby Kieth – Play

“I’m from the country. I like horses and trail rides, so this song is about me.”

Country Boy Can Survive – Hank Williams Jr. - Play

“It hits home because we’re from the country and they do all the same things that we do.”

Copperhead Road – Steve Earl – Play

“It’s a real old one. It just talks about this old man that collects bottles. Back home there was this old man that would alway sit and play guitar in front of my grandparents store. Its neat because this song always reminds me of him.”

 

Bobby Cassevah

Sounds So Good – Ashton Shepherd – Play

“A girl sings this. She’s pretty hot I must say.”

Don’t Take the Girl – Tim McGraw – Play

“A classic from Tim McGraw. One of his first big hits.”

We Rode in Trucks – Luke Bryan – Play

“A new guy that came out of Georgia. He writes about hanging out with all his old friends riding trucks down dirt roads which is what I used to do.”

Little More Country Than That – Easton Corbin - Play

“Another guy from Georgia. He just talks about growing up in the country like me.

Guys Like Me – Eric Church – Play

“He talks about guys from the country and how we’re different from everybody else.”

 

 

 

Future Bees: June 14-20

Double-A Arkansas Travelers (26-42, 4th in TEX North): Former Bees catcher Brian Walker announced his retirement yesterday after hitting a homerun in his hometown of Tulsa, OK. While Arkansas is down a catcher in Walker, they gained an All-Star pitcher with the promotion of top pitching prospect Tyler Chatwood. The second round draft pick of the Angels in 2008 is 8-3 this year with an Angels-best 1.77 ERA at Rancho Cucamonga.

High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (39-31, 2nd in CAL South): The California League announced the All-Star rosters this week which include three Quakes: outfielder Tyson Auer, infielder Alexi Amarista, and pitcher Tyler Chatwood. Auer and Amarista will have to represent Rancho Cucamonga on their own with Chatwood’s recent promotion, but the two shouldn’t have a problem considering how well they’ve played this year. Auer is on pace for 62 stolen bases this year and Amarista continues to hit well for average, steal bases and play solid defense at second base.

Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels (43-20, 1st in MID West): The Kernels claimed the first half Championship this week and by so doing automatically qualify for the playoffs. With the All-Star break this week, most of the Kernels have a couple of days off. Notable exceptions are the Cedar Rapids All-Stars including outfielder Mike Trout, infielders Jean Segura and Casey Haerther, and pitchers Garrett Richards, Mike Kenney, Tyler Skaggs and Fabio Martinez-Mesa. In their last game of the first half of play, the Kernels went off with a bang dropping ten runs in the first inning against the Burlington Bees.

The Rookie Orem Owlz and AZL Angels both begin play today.

Fresh Prince of Salt Lake

Will Smith pitched 8.2 innings with only two earned runs in last night’s win over the Las Vegas 51′s. He was the first Bees pitcher to go beyond seven innings this season. Smith’s outing not only pleased the fans, but impressed a certain Blue Jays blogger. Dave Rutt of BattersBox.ca posted new lyrics to the tune of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song in honor of the pitcher. Enjoy.

 

Will Smith combo.jpg 

 

Well, this is a story all about how
Las Vegas got flipped-turned upside-down
and I’d like to take minute for the reader’s sake
and tell ya all about the game they lost to Salt Lake.

In Newnan Georgia born and raised
On the diamond was where he spent most of his days
Playin’ catch battin’ takin’ grounders all cool
Spittin’ sunflower seeds outside of school
When a couple of scouts
Thought they found their mark
Brought their radar guns to the ballpark
He went to one little camp and his mom got scared
She said “You’re going to college if I have to march your butt there”

He studied for a year but still his path wound
To baseball, he was drafted in the 7th round
Little more than 2 years later he was in triple A
Facing off against the affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays

He went 8 and 2 thirds, 4 runs, pretty nice!
Struck out Hoffpauir, Padilla and Calderone twice
Brian D. hit a homer but not a difference did it make
Will Smith, 2 and 4, the Fresh Prince of Salt Lake.

-Dave Rutt

 

Dan: The guy clearly did his homework. I can’t say for certain that Rutt wrote this but he definitely posted it. And make fun of me all you want but I never watched Fresh Prince, so thank you Hannah for singing the tune for us.

Danny: This guy is an artist, for sure. Although I’m certain our Will Smith has heard all the Will Smith jokes you could imagine, I’m also sure that he is glad that this song is about what a dominant preformance he had on the mound rather than how the 51′s dethroned the “Prince of Salt Lake.” All in all, two thumbs way up for Rutt’s style and execution.

Bees Pregame Playlist: Marco Albano

Our third installment of the Bees Player Playlist. Marco Albano, a Boston native, offers a diverse selection of music he likes to listen to before a game. Enjoy.

 

Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye – Play

“Old school. I am kind of a big R&B fan. He’s kind of the king at that.”

Machinehead – Bush – Play

“One of my favorite songs to listen to before a game. It gets me pumped up.”

Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra – Play

“I’m Italian so you can’t really grow up without hearing him. Summer Wind is obviously my favorite song of his.” 

Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – Play

“One of my all-time favorites. Growing up in the 90′s, it was a big summer time song.”

Home – Michael Buble’ – Play

“Kind of the same feeling as Sinatra. He’s kind of ”new age” I guess you could say.”

Can’t Knock the Hustle – Jay Z – Play

“My favorite rapper. From his first album, its my favorite of his.”

Lose Yourself – Eminem – Play

“Obviously a song I always listen to before a game. It helps me get pumped.”

One Last Breath – Creed - Play

“One of my favorite rock bands.”

Don’t Say Nuthin – The Roots – Play

“Another hip/hop rap group. They have great beats and a band which is more musical.”

Ordinary People – John Legend – Play

“Again R&B. This is his best song in my humble opinion.”

Future Bees: June 8-13

Double-A Arkansas Travelers (22-38, 4th in TEX North): The struggling Travelers have not had much going for them of late as they dropped six of seven games this week, but may have a bright spot in recently acquired Major League veteran Daniel Cabrera. The 6′ 9″ Cabrera, who is known for both his nasty pitches and lack of control and inconsistency, pitched for the Baltimore Orioles from 2004 to 2008 before bouncing around to several clubs since then. The Angels hope he can work out his mechanical issues and restore his dominant stuff that once nearly no-hit the Yankees in 2007. In his one outing with Arkansas this year, Cabrera pitched one scoreless inning allowing one walk and one hit on Saturday night.

High-A Rancho Cucamonga (37-27, 2nd in CAL South): Rancho climbed the standings one position this week ahead of High Desert and cut first-place Lake Elsinore’s lead down to five games. Centerfielder Tyson Auer continues to crush California League pitching going 12-for-21 in his last six games with a homerun, two triples, six RBI, six runs scored and five stolen bases. Pitcher Tyler Chatwood is also dominating his opponents. In his last start on Friday when, Chatwood pitched eight scoreless innings of three-hit baseball to earn the victory over the Inland Empire 66ers bringing his record to 8-2 overall.

Low-A Cedar Rapids (41-21, 1st in MID West): The first-place Kernels continued their torrid winning pace behind quality pitching from Midwest League Pitcher of the Week Garrett Richards who pitched six innings of one-hit, shutout ball on Friday night. Cedar Rapids is riding a five-game winning streak over which the starting pitchers have each given quality starts and the offense has averaged nearly seven runs per game. First baseman Casey Haerther is still doing his job well from the clean-up spot, having gone 9-for-19 in his last five games with six RBI and six runs scored.

Future Bees: June 1-7

Double-A Arkansas Travelers (21-32, 4th in TEX
North): Right-hander Tim Kiely pitched his best start of the year allowing one
run over six innings on Wednesday but received no run-support in a loss to San
Antonio. Former Bee infielder Carlos Colmenares is heating up of late,
especially with his 3-for-4 performance on June 5th. Still, the team
has yet to put it all together and find themselves in the cellar of the
division.

High-A Rancho Cucamonga (31-26, 3rd in CAL South):
Quakes starter Pat Corbin shutout Lancaster and received plenty of run-support
in an 8-0 victory on Thursday. Matt Shoemaker pitched his second great start in
a row on Friday, surrendering one earned run on four hits in seven innings to
get the win. Centerfielder Tyson Auer continues to get on base and run wild and
is now batting .309 and leading the California League with 31 stolen bases.

Low-A Cedar Rapids (36-21, 1st in MID Western): The
talent-laden Kernels continue to punish opposing pitchers behind the Trout-Segura-Haerther
trifecta. Mike Trout snapped his hitting-streak going 0-for-3 Saturday in a
rain-shortened game against Great Lakes but is still batting .366 and averaging
almost 1.5 runs/game. This week Jean Segura hit .478 (11/23) while driving in
eight in six games. The former UCLA Bruin Casey Haerther hit .500 (12/24) this
week with seven RBI from the clean-up spot.

 

Bees Pregame Playlist – Mark Trumbo

Our second installment of the Bees Player Playlists:

Here are some songs that Mark Trumbo recommends that help him get pumped up before a game.


IMG_0403.JPGHells Bells – AC/DC – Play

I just love AC/DC as a whole and this is one of the first songs I learned how to play on guitar. It’s a pretty kicking song.

We Die Young – Alice in Chains – Play

Another older song. I’ve always been a big fan of Alice in Chains, especially Layne Staley who passed away. I think this is one of their best songs that they have done. It’s got a real good guitar part and is real heavy.

Rebel Yell – Billy Idol – Play

Just a classic. No explanation really needed.

War – The Cult – Play

Another good band. A lot of people my age probably do not know about them but if they like rock music then these guys are pretty much a staple.

Keep Away – Godsmack – Play

It’s one of the first songs I really got into. I remember I was in 7th grade when their CD came out and it’s kind of stuck with me since then. This is one of their big hits.  

Temple From Within – Killswitch Engage – Play

This is probably one of the heaviest songs on the list. We actually got to meet the band during spring training and they were super nice guys. We got to go back stage and watch the whole show from there, so I had to put them on here.

Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin – Play

It’s just a classic. I like the way it starts and I’ve seen some really good cover versions of this song in the off season.

Straight Outta Compton – N.W.A. – Play

This is the one rap song making an appearance on the list. I really like old school rap stuff as well like Tupac but this one kind of stuck out and has some really good beats to it.

Drones – Rise Against – Play

It’s not one of their big hits but it’s one of my favorites. I’ve liked them for a long time and its one of their older songs. I started listening to them when I was 15, so I’ve been a fan for almost 10 years.

Blu – Sight Unscene – Play

Out of San Diego, I don’t think anybody in the state could tell you who they are but they can throw down real well. Enjoy.

Future Bees: Week of May 25-31, 2010


Hi Bees fans! 

This is the first installment of our new weekly blog feature “Future Bees” where we take a look at what’s happening with the other teams in the Angels Farm system and highlight some of the players who could find themselves in a Bees uniform in the near future. 

DOUBLE-A ARKANSAS

Record:
19-29, 4th place in North Division, 9.5 games back.

Week:
3-4 — Month: 9-19 — L10: 4-6 — Streak: W2

Highlights

One-Run Wonders: The Travelers ended
the month of May with two straight one-run victories over Corpus Cristi behind
solid pitching performances from Jeremy Thorne, Michael Anton and the relief
core of Robert Fish, Jeremy Haynes and Jordan Walden.

New Addition: After tearing up the
California League with High-A Rancho Cucamonga (.346, 42 RBI in 46 games),
outfielder Roberto Lopez was promoted to Arkansas on Saturday. He is
one-for-six in two games for the Travelers. 

Top Performers

Jeremy Thorne: In his start on Sunday,
Thorne pitched seven stellar innings of one-run ball and earned the win against
Corpus Cristi.

Jeremy Moore: Had a seven-game hitting
streak snapped on Monday after going 10-for-33 (.333) during that span.

Jordan Walden: After a terrible April
in which he had an ERA of 12.15 and a WHIP of 2.40, Walden has regained his
form in May, lowering his ERA to 4.79 after only allowing one earned run on the
month.

HIGH-A RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES

Record:
29-23, 3rd place in South Division, 6.0 games back.

Week: 5-2 — May: 18-11 — L10: 6-4 — Streak: W1

Highlights

Walking the Line: The Quakes pitchers escaped danger multiple times on Monday after allowing 12
baserunners to reach by walks. Despite the wild night, starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood and Co.
were able to prevent San Jose from capitalizing on the opportunities. 

April Showers, May
Flowers: Rancho has come on strong in May after faltering out of the gates
in 2010, led by Chatwood who is 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA for
the month and second baseman Alexi Amarista.

Top Performers

Matt Shoemaker: Pitched a complete-game on Saturday surrendering one run on four hits while
striking out 12, this after getting hit around in his previous start in which
he gave up five runs in four innings of work.

Alexi Amarista: Amarista has been on a tear this week, with six multi-hit games in seven games,
including a four-hit showcase on Monday where he finished a homer short of the
cycle. This week he is 15-for-30 (.500) with a homerun, eight RBI, four doubles
and four stolen bases raising his batting average to .351.

 

LOW-A CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS

Record: 33-18, 1st place in Western Division, 2.0
games up.

Week: 6-1 — Ma

y: 23-6 — L

10: 9-1 — S

treak: W6

Highlights

Walk-off!: G

oing
right along with the walk-off theme in the Angels organization this week, the Kernels
took a 2-1 deficit into the bottom of the ninth, tied it on a Casey Haerther
sac fly and walked-off with the win on a Luis Jimenez RBI single that scored
Mike Trout.

Come back Kernels: In
Sunday afternoon the Kernels came back from a 4-1 deficit when Rattlers pitcher
Jake Odorizzi walked the bases loaded to get into trouble, and eventually gave
up a two-run double to Mike Trout that put the Kernels on top for good 5-4.

Top Performances

Mike Trout: Trout continues his beat down of Midwest League pitching going 11/28 (.392) at
the plate with six runs, three stolen bases and three RBI for the week. He
currently leads the MWL in batting average (.362), OBP (.442), runs (42), hits
(71) and stolen bases (26); is second in triples (6) and OPS (.988); and is
third in slugging (.546) and total bases (107).

Garrett Richards: In two impressive starts covering 12 innings, Richards did not allow an earned
run, only surrendering six hits while striking out 14 and earning wins in both
decisions. On Monday afternoon, Richards struck out seven consecutive batters,
running his strikeout total for the day to 11.

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