Trying to Break In

By Ryan Pfleiderer

It’s an uphill battle for minor league baseball players.  There’s only space for 25 guys on the major league roster and that makes it tough to break into the bigs.   But, no one on the Pawtucket Red Sox is going to give up on his childhood dream of playing at the major league level.

Photo by Barry Chin/Boston Globe

There are 15 members of the PawSox who have already made their major league debuts, but getting back up to the big league club isn’t easy.  ”Those guys up there you know are in the big leagues for a reason, but at the same time guys down here are really good too and it definitely prepares you,” Pawtucket outfielder Ryan Kalish said.

Last year Kalish made his major league debut and ended up playing in 53 games for an injury-ridden Red Sox squad.  This year, the Red Sox outfield is healthy again and Kalish finds himself back in Rhode Island at the Triple-A level.  ”The season is your preparing… you’re trying to become a better player.  If they need you up there then you can be ready,” he said.

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Kalish isn’t the only outfielder of the PawSox who made his major league debut last season.  Daniel Nava was called up last June and made sure that Red Sox Nation wouldn’t forget his name.  In his first at-bat, Nava crushed a grand slam, earning himself a spot on the roster and 187 more plate appearances.  But, fast-forward a year later and Nava is getting plate appearances at McCoy Stadium instead of Fenway Park.  ”I don’t focus on it because… I got to do my job before that even becomes a possibility. I’m not focused on that, I mean I think if you ask anybody you want to see them do well up there,” he said.  Nava will need to find his stroke before he can make it back up to Boston; in 13 games with Pawtucket, the outfielder is hitting just .186 with no home runs and just 2 RBIs.  But Nava will try to use his big league experience to improve on his game.  ”You do learn a lot up there while you’re up there and you try to anytime you get an opportunity to come and to play… you’re always trying to find ways to improve,” he said.

Photo by TJ Perr

Lars Anderson didn’t spend as much time in the bigs as Kalish and Nava, but he did get a taste of the majors.  Last season, the first baseman had 35 at-bats with Boston and was invited to join the team for Spring Training in Ft. Myers, Florida.  ”Well it helps you get ready, but you really can’t put too much stock into the spring. I’ve seen guys have amazing springs and have bad starts to their season… I mean anything can happen once the season starts. So I think it’s important to keep that perspective,” he said.  The 23-year-0ld lefty has quickly made his way through the Red Sox organization.  Anderson was drafted out of high school and spent two years playing Single-A ball before he was promoted to the Red Sox Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs.  Two seasons later he made the jump from Portland to Pawtucket and eventually to the big league club.  The 6’4″ slugger will have to wait a little while longer before he gets a promotion, but he could find himself back up at the major league level when rosters are expanded near the end of the season.

Photo by Dylan Heuer

Young players aren’t the only ones trying to break out of the minors, there are plenty of veterans who start the season in Triple-A.  35-year-old Brandon Duckworth made his major league debut 10 years ago and has pitched in over 130 big league games, but he’s in the Pawtucket starting rotation.  Rich Hill is in the same boat; the 31-year-old southpaw is trying to make it back up to the big leagues after spending six seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox.  But it doesn’t matter how much big league experience a player has, it’s all about how he’s playing right now.  Duckworth and Hill will have to wait their turns just like Kalish, Nava and Anderson are doing.  It’s not easy to wait for a spot on the big league roster to open up, but these PawSox are in a good position to make the jump to the majors when a place in the dugout becomes available.

ECSB: Return to the top

By, Ben Barker

It only took two days to return to the top. After a 4-8 start to the 2011 season, the Emerson College Lions have roared back to the top of the GNAC. The Lions bundled up this weekend and swept two doubleheaders against two division rivals. The first came on

emerson.edu/athletics

Saturday.  St. Joseph’s College of Maine watched leads of 6-3 and  8-3 disappear after big home runs off the bats of Bianca Buono and Kelsey Tuthill. The winnings streak continued on Sunday when Johnson and Wales University was blanked by Emerson. The Lions’ starters didn’t allow an earned run in 12.0 innings against the Wildcats, and finished off the weekend with a 4 game winning streak.

The action didn’t go unheard. All four games this weekend were broadcast online via Ustream.tv. Ben Barker and Ryan Pfleiderer broadcast the games for listeners across the nation from the center field press box. The duo will continue this trend all season long, alternating between play-by-play and color analysis to keep all Emerson College sports fans up to speed on the latest softball action.

By season’s end, a radio style highlight reel will be produced and distributed to the team. This way, all the players and fans will have a chance to remember the 2011 season.

 

A Giant Update: Wilson Injured, Bullpen Battle

By Ryan Pfleiderer

Wilson’s Injury Could Sideline Him for Opening Day

 

(Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press)

As Brian Wilson‘s epically long beard continues to grow, so does the list of injuries the star closer has suffered this spring.  Wilson has a strained ribcage muscle, which could keep him out for the beginning of the regular season.  He had a MRI on Saturday and is going to be reevaluated today.  The bearded closer led the league in saves last season and helped seal several Giants’ playoff victories on their way to a championship.  The Giants do have a few relievers who can fill in for Wilson; right handers Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla have closer-type stuff, and lefty Jeremy Affeldt is having a fantastic spring and could fight for the job.

Huff to See More Time in Left

 

(Associated Press)

Left field isn’t new territory for Aubrey Huff.  Although he is most comfortable at first base, the slugger isn’t complaining about playing in the outfield.  Last season, Huff played several games in right and left field while Buster Posey played first base.  Now another rookie might push Huff back to the outfield.  First baseman Brandon Belt might not be on the opening day roster, but he’s sure to make an appearance in the big leagues sooner rather than later.  Manager Bruce Bochy wants Huff to get some playing time in left before the season begins just in case Belt gets called up in the first few weeks.

(Photo by Adam Foster)

Brandon Who?

The name’s Belt, Brandon Belt.  And he’s very, very good.  Belt’s raised plenty of eyebrows this spring, especially after his performance against the Chicago White Sox last week.  Belt went 3 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBIs, and came just a triple short of hitting for the cycle.  Mark DeRosa likes what he sees from the youngster: ”obviously he can hit. It was good to see him go through a little struggle and get out of it, because every night you’re going to see top-flight pitching. You’ve got to take your lumps and bounce back.”

One Freakish In-N-Out Order

(Jim Caple/ESPN)

The Freak is known for his high-powered fastball and his devastating change-up, but now he’s getting recognition for his favorite fast food order.  Tim Lincecum loves In-N-Out Burger so much that each time he visits the fast food chain he gets not just one double-double, not just two double-doubles, but three double-doubles (a double-double is a cheeseburger with two meat patties and two slices of American cheese).  But Lincecum doesn’t stop his order there.  The 5’11″, 160 pound flamethrower adds two orders of fries (cooked in cholesterol-free oil of course) and a chocolate-strawberry milkshake to top it all off.  The junk-food junkie’s dream meal adds up to 3150 calories; but as long as he keeps pitching the way he does, no one’s going to stop him from hitting the drive-thru.

Cain You Dig It?

(Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Matt Cain is on a tear.  The starting pitcher hasn’t allowed an earned run in 31 1/3 innings.  He didn’t allow a single run during the Giants postseason run and he hasn’t given up one in a single outing this spring.  The last team to get a run on the board against the right hander was San Diego, and that was in Cain’s last regular-season start.  Cain had some elbow tendinitis at the beginning of Spring Training, but that hasn’t affected his pitching.  He says he feels good and is ready for the season.

Bullpen Blitz: Who Gets the Last Spot?

(Photo by James Huber)

There’s four pitchers, but only one roster spot.  Jeff Suppan, Ryan Vogelsong, Dan Runzler and Guillermo Mota are fighting for the final spot in the bullpen, but it’s not clear who the favorite is to claim the seat.  Last week, Suppan, Vogelsong and Mota each allowed two runs in an exhibition with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Runzler was impressive in several relief appearances last season before he dislocated his right knee cap while in the batter’s box during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.  Manager Bruce Bochy says the spot will go to the pitcher who performed best during Spring Training.  If Suppan doesn’t make the team, he has a clause in his contract that allows him to opt out and test the free agency waters.

Opening Day Countdown

10 days until the first pitch of the 2011 Major League Baseball Season