The first half is almost over, and it seems like it’s flown by. We just got done with our all-star break and now we’re in Fort Myers playing the final game of a three game series. That’s right our first half didn’t end at the all-star break. My only explanation as to why they set it up that way was so that they could have the all-star break on the weekend, which worked out just fine for us.
The first half has been a roller coaster ride. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that until I become a completely polished hitter, then that’s just how it’s going to be. I also think that part of becoming a polished and smart hitter is minimizing the drops in the roller coaster from day to day to pitch to pitch. But that’s part of the whole process and I’m in it for the long run, there’s nothing else that I would rather be doing right now with my life.
I ended the first half on the upper end of the roller coaster but as a whole I didn’t accomplish a lot of the things that I would have wanted to in the first half. I’ve been telling myself that the second half is a fresh start; I plan to throw everything out from the first half and go from Thursday on. I also know that I played my best baseball of the year during the second half last year, so I really feel as if it’s my time to turn it on.
I know how everyone always has questions about professional baseball so I figured I would explain how my day at the park went today. We had a 12:05 game so that meant we were to catch the bus at 10:15. Once we got to the field we were greeted by three men dressed in collared shirts and slacks, which only meant one thing…it was drug test time. Since it was the morning I didn’t have to pee because like everyone else in the world I pee as soon as I get up. After about an hour of waiting around I was finally able to get something out, but it wasn’t enough. By this time it was about 20 minutes until game time. We ended up sealing up what I had and I had to finish up after the game. Moral to the story is that I didn’t have a chance to stretch, run, or throw before the game…all because of guys like Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire!
I’ve started reading a book called “Talent is Never Enough”; I absolutely recommend it to everyone out there. It’s basically about taking your life to the next level. It talks about how people wouldn’t recognize themselves if they lived up to their full potential. It tells a lot of stories about people who have gone above and beyond the limitations of their talent. But anyways, check it out…
Hopefully everyone out there is doing well. Don’t be scared to come visit me in South Florida, I love visitors and Jupiter is one of the nicest places ever! Thanks for reading and one of my resolutions for the second half is to blog more often, hopefully I keep all of my resolutions alive!
“Obstacles in life are like logs in your path. You can step over it or movie it out of the way. You could cut it up and make firewood.”
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Slow down....
It’s definitely been awhile since I’ve blogged, here are some of my excuses: we don’t have any internet at our place in Jupiter, the last hotel that we were at didn’t have any internet, I’ve been really busy…blah, blah, blah. I got nothin!
Right now we’re on the bus headed from Port Charlotte to Sarasota. We just finished up a short two game series against the Port Charlotte Stone Crabs (the team nicknames in minor league baseball are the best). We were supposed to play the third game of our series tonight but the grounds crew failed to tarp the field and after they had dried up the field, you guessed it, it started raining again. We were all done with batting practice, pre-game stretch, and our throwing program. It was about five minutes until game time and it began to absolutely pour for about an hour before they decided to “bang” it. Having the game “banged: means cancelled, I’m not really sure how that originated but everyone seems to use it in baseball so I guess I’ll go ahead and use it.
Port Charlotte is a pretty nice city and they’re really into their team, which is a rarity in the Florida State League. This is the first year for the Rays to have their high A team in Port Charlotte. I think it had been about six years since they had a team, and at that time I want to say that the White Sox had their high A team there. Since then they’ve renovated it and it’s become a really nice stadium (the Rays are finally starting to win and get some money).
Since the last time I blogged a lot has been going on. We’re now at 15-16 and my average is up from what it was the last time I blogged. It’s still not anything to write home about but I know how soon numbers can turn around so I’m not a bit worried. They actually keep a hard hit column from team to team in our organization. The first month I was second on the team in hard hit balls, so the way I look at it is if I keep hitting the ball hard eventually they’ll find holes and eventually the balls that I hit hard and got out on will lead to a broken bat hit or an infield single. The challenge when you struggle numbers wise is to get away from what works and mentally try to do things that aren’t capable of doing from at- bat to at-bat. For example, in a single at-bat you’re only going to be able to at most get one hit. It’s a slow and gradual process to turning things around but if you stick with your plan and stay positive then things will turn around.
Our pitching up to this point has been unbelievable. Our starting rotation is keeping us in every game and giving us great opportunities to win every game that we play. Our defense, for the most part, has been steady, but the real problem has been our offense. After last night’s game our team was hitting .214 as a team which is by far dead last in the Florida State League. It really baffles me as to how we’re struggling so badly. I still look up and down our lineup trying to find a hole and it’s hard for me to find one. I still think that it’s only a matter of time before we begin to find our stride as a team and when that happens I think the possibilities for this team could be endless.
We just got into Sarasota and our hotel it top notch, definitely one of the nicer ones I’ve stayed in throughout my minor league career. Our drive was only about 30 minutes, definitely a plus of playing in the Florida State league. It seemed like last year whenever we went from town to town it seemed like it was always at least a four hour drive. I’m looking forward to getting to see Scott again. I’m pretty sure he’s hating life in extended spring training so hopefully it’ll brighten up his spirits to get to see an old familiar face.
Another thing that’s going on is that my sister’s high school career is coming to an end. I can’t believe how fast she’s grown up; right now I just can’t imagine my little sister as a college student! It really kind of scares me. I was talking to my mom the other night and she was telling me how Mary only had about a week left of classes left in her high school career. I began to think about how much I would love to go back to high school and have a week left. I think at the end of my high school career I didn’t cherish it enough, I was more or less trying to rush it along. Looking back on it now, high school was one of the best times of my life. I met some of my best friends and I was able to see my family every single day. That thought led me to thinking about slowing everything down in my life. Right now I’m getting to do something that a lot of people wish that they could do and something that I only have a limited window in my life to do. Then I started to relate that back to my at-bats. I’ve been trying to take every at-bat in the present and not to think about the past and definitely not look forward to the future. It sounds so easy to do but I’m working on it, it’s definitely a process.
So everyone out there slow down and enjoy life. Enjoy the things that you’re doing at this point in time because the time that you have right now you will never be able to get back! Take that in for a minute that was pretty deep!
Hopefully everyone is doing well and I appreciate all the comments and the support. I’m going to try my hardest to update my blog as soon as I can. I always say that, but I’m really going to give it my best shot.
“If you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail.”
Right now we’re on the bus headed from Port Charlotte to Sarasota. We just finished up a short two game series against the Port Charlotte Stone Crabs (the team nicknames in minor league baseball are the best). We were supposed to play the third game of our series tonight but the grounds crew failed to tarp the field and after they had dried up the field, you guessed it, it started raining again. We were all done with batting practice, pre-game stretch, and our throwing program. It was about five minutes until game time and it began to absolutely pour for about an hour before they decided to “bang” it. Having the game “banged: means cancelled, I’m not really sure how that originated but everyone seems to use it in baseball so I guess I’ll go ahead and use it.
Port Charlotte is a pretty nice city and they’re really into their team, which is a rarity in the Florida State League. This is the first year for the Rays to have their high A team in Port Charlotte. I think it had been about six years since they had a team, and at that time I want to say that the White Sox had their high A team there. Since then they’ve renovated it and it’s become a really nice stadium (the Rays are finally starting to win and get some money).
Since the last time I blogged a lot has been going on. We’re now at 15-16 and my average is up from what it was the last time I blogged. It’s still not anything to write home about but I know how soon numbers can turn around so I’m not a bit worried. They actually keep a hard hit column from team to team in our organization. The first month I was second on the team in hard hit balls, so the way I look at it is if I keep hitting the ball hard eventually they’ll find holes and eventually the balls that I hit hard and got out on will lead to a broken bat hit or an infield single. The challenge when you struggle numbers wise is to get away from what works and mentally try to do things that aren’t capable of doing from at- bat to at-bat. For example, in a single at-bat you’re only going to be able to at most get one hit. It’s a slow and gradual process to turning things around but if you stick with your plan and stay positive then things will turn around.
Our pitching up to this point has been unbelievable. Our starting rotation is keeping us in every game and giving us great opportunities to win every game that we play. Our defense, for the most part, has been steady, but the real problem has been our offense. After last night’s game our team was hitting .214 as a team which is by far dead last in the Florida State League. It really baffles me as to how we’re struggling so badly. I still look up and down our lineup trying to find a hole and it’s hard for me to find one. I still think that it’s only a matter of time before we begin to find our stride as a team and when that happens I think the possibilities for this team could be endless.
We just got into Sarasota and our hotel it top notch, definitely one of the nicer ones I’ve stayed in throughout my minor league career. Our drive was only about 30 minutes, definitely a plus of playing in the Florida State league. It seemed like last year whenever we went from town to town it seemed like it was always at least a four hour drive. I’m looking forward to getting to see Scott again. I’m pretty sure he’s hating life in extended spring training so hopefully it’ll brighten up his spirits to get to see an old familiar face.
Another thing that’s going on is that my sister’s high school career is coming to an end. I can’t believe how fast she’s grown up; right now I just can’t imagine my little sister as a college student! It really kind of scares me. I was talking to my mom the other night and she was telling me how Mary only had about a week left of classes left in her high school career. I began to think about how much I would love to go back to high school and have a week left. I think at the end of my high school career I didn’t cherish it enough, I was more or less trying to rush it along. Looking back on it now, high school was one of the best times of my life. I met some of my best friends and I was able to see my family every single day. That thought led me to thinking about slowing everything down in my life. Right now I’m getting to do something that a lot of people wish that they could do and something that I only have a limited window in my life to do. Then I started to relate that back to my at-bats. I’ve been trying to take every at-bat in the present and not to think about the past and definitely not look forward to the future. It sounds so easy to do but I’m working on it, it’s definitely a process.
So everyone out there slow down and enjoy life. Enjoy the things that you’re doing at this point in time because the time that you have right now you will never be able to get back! Take that in for a minute that was pretty deep!
Hopefully everyone is doing well and I appreciate all the comments and the support. I’m going to try my hardest to update my blog as soon as I can. I always say that, but I’m really going to give it my best shot.
“If you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail.”
Monday, April 20, 2009
4-6 but on the way up
We’ve already reached our second off day and we’re only 10 games into the season. Two off days in 10 games is almost unheard of. I did hear someone say the other day that after this off day we go 27 straight days without having an off day, so it all evens out.
Our team has gotten off to a slower start than I would have expected. We’re sitting at 4-6 right now after taking two out of three from the Sarasota Reds. Our first series of the year we played the Palm Beach Cardinals. We share the facility with them so whenever we play them we have two home games and two “away” games. After beating them nearly every day in spring training they promptly took three out of four from us when it mattered. I got my first start the third game at first base. I ended up going 1-4 but I hit the ball hard every time up, all those hard hit outs always even out, right dad?
For our second series we headed west a couple hours to Fort Myers to play the Minnesota Twins affiliate. The Miracle play their games in a really nice stadium with an even better playing surface. Our first game ended up getting rained out so the following day was filled with a double header, which we split. This series was dominated by 2007 first rounder Ben Revere. He always seemed to be getting on base, followed by stealing a base, followed by scoring a run. He helped them to take two out of three.
Our final series of the road trip was in Sarasota, which is the home of the Sarasota Reds. Sarasota is also where Scott is honing his craft. We ended up taking two out of three, mostly due to our man child Mike Stanton catching fire. Sarasota’s facilities and town aren’t nearly as nice as Fort Myers, it’s no wonder the Reds will be moving out to Arizona next year to a new spring training destination. It was great to see Scott again and see how upbeat he is being about his whole situation. We at together a few times and we realized that it has been since high school that we had seen each other play. There’s a likely possibility that when he comes back he’ll start in high a and I could very well end up facing him. Everyone always asks us if we’ve ever faced each other and the answer is always no, but that very well could change in a couple months.
I can already tell that our team is starting to make progress in the right direction. The first couple series we played a little uptight and it showed with mental mistakes and costly errors, but the effort was still there. The more everyone gets back into the routine of playing every day the more everyone will be performing to their upmost potential. The two main things that have hindered our performance as a team up to this point has been our hitting and our ability to close out games. If you were to ask anyone on our team, they would tell you that these two things will be two of our stronger areas when it is all said and done.
For me it’s been an all right start. Numbers wise I haven’t had a great start, but I’ve never really been a great starter. I’ve put together some good at bats, haven’t struck out a lot, and have hit quite a few balls pretty well. I’m not one bit worried because I know how long of a season it is and I know how even keeled you have to be to be successful.
Well that’s all I have for now, I’ve got to get going to make an eye appointment that I already missed once last week. I’ll try to blog again in a couple days to give a little more insight into life in the Florida State League.
“A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward.” –Jean Paul
Our team has gotten off to a slower start than I would have expected. We’re sitting at 4-6 right now after taking two out of three from the Sarasota Reds. Our first series of the year we played the Palm Beach Cardinals. We share the facility with them so whenever we play them we have two home games and two “away” games. After beating them nearly every day in spring training they promptly took three out of four from us when it mattered. I got my first start the third game at first base. I ended up going 1-4 but I hit the ball hard every time up, all those hard hit outs always even out, right dad?
For our second series we headed west a couple hours to Fort Myers to play the Minnesota Twins affiliate. The Miracle play their games in a really nice stadium with an even better playing surface. Our first game ended up getting rained out so the following day was filled with a double header, which we split. This series was dominated by 2007 first rounder Ben Revere. He always seemed to be getting on base, followed by stealing a base, followed by scoring a run. He helped them to take two out of three.
Our final series of the road trip was in Sarasota, which is the home of the Sarasota Reds. Sarasota is also where Scott is honing his craft. We ended up taking two out of three, mostly due to our man child Mike Stanton catching fire. Sarasota’s facilities and town aren’t nearly as nice as Fort Myers, it’s no wonder the Reds will be moving out to Arizona next year to a new spring training destination. It was great to see Scott again and see how upbeat he is being about his whole situation. We at together a few times and we realized that it has been since high school that we had seen each other play. There’s a likely possibility that when he comes back he’ll start in high a and I could very well end up facing him. Everyone always asks us if we’ve ever faced each other and the answer is always no, but that very well could change in a couple months.
I can already tell that our team is starting to make progress in the right direction. The first couple series we played a little uptight and it showed with mental mistakes and costly errors, but the effort was still there. The more everyone gets back into the routine of playing every day the more everyone will be performing to their upmost potential. The two main things that have hindered our performance as a team up to this point has been our hitting and our ability to close out games. If you were to ask anyone on our team, they would tell you that these two things will be two of our stronger areas when it is all said and done.
For me it’s been an all right start. Numbers wise I haven’t had a great start, but I’ve never really been a great starter. I’ve put together some good at bats, haven’t struck out a lot, and have hit quite a few balls pretty well. I’m not one bit worried because I know how long of a season it is and I know how even keeled you have to be to be successful.
Well that’s all I have for now, I’ve got to get going to make an eye appointment that I already missed once last week. I’ll try to blog again in a couple days to give a little more insight into life in the Florida State League.
“A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward.” –Jean Paul
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Minor league optimism...
For minor league baseball players today is the ultimate day of optimism. No matter what you did last year your numbers are reset at zero and every team has the opportunity of going 140-0. Everyone is upbeat and the locker room is a great place to be, but I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t last for long. Even if the team is winning, you will always have at least one guy on the team that is struggling and worrying about their job security. Like all the other teams, ours is filled with positive outlooks and everyone is expecting a successful year.
As for me, count me in with the rest of every minor leaguer. I’m go into this season after finishing strong the last week of spring training, and going into it healthier and stronger than I have ever been. Physically I can compete with anyone out there, but what separates the big leaguers from the minor leaguers is the ability to be stronger mentally than anyone out there. From what I’ve heard, the Florida State League will definitely challenge the mental capacity of any hitter. In our first meeting with our hitting coach he told us that there wouldn’t be any complaining about the conditions or the size of the field. That alone should eliminate a lot of the built in excuses that come with playing in the FSL.
I’ve set a bunch of goals that I want to accomplish throughout this year. First I thought of some mental/approach goals and then some numbers goals. The way I look at it is that if I come to the park every day ready to get better and I accomplish all my mental/approach goals then the numbers will all take care of themselves and I’ll be where I want to be at the end of the year.
Since my last blog I’ve had a few amazing things happen to me. On the last day of spring training I came into the locker room to find my name, along with about 10 other minor leaguers, on the daily plan sheet to dress out for the final major leaguer spring training game. I have no idea how the organization decides who get to suit up for these games, but nonetheless I took it as an honor. When you play in a big league game you get to wear your pants however you want, you get a one ear flap helmet, and best of all you get $30 for the day (meal money). The game got underway at 12:05 and after one at bat for all the big leaguers it was 1:05 and it was a slew of Marlins minor leaguers vs. the Toronto Blue Jays starting lineup. I played first base and got two at bats (struck out the first and grounded out the second). I had an unbelievable time just seeing how everyone goes about doing their job in such a professional manner. The game ended up in a 1-1 tie and I was left with the feeling of wanting more. I’ve now stored that feeling away and am going to use it as fuel to drive me to reach that ultimate goal.
The second exciting thing in my life is that I’ve now moved into what I would call a duplex/condo/townhouse. I’m living with Jameson Smith, Ryan Curry, and Tom Hickman; all great guys who I played with last year in Greensboro. Our living area is about 15 minutes walking distance from the field in a town called Abacoa. We’re having to pay quite a bit more than we paid last year for our place but I knew going in that no matter what kind of place that we would find we would have to pay a pretty hefty fee because of the inflated price of living down here. I’ve turned the bottom floor, which used to be a living room area, into my bedroom. After a few trips to Wal-Mart to construct a make shift closet and bed I’m finally all settled in for what should be an amazing six months.
Our first game is tonight at 7:05 against the Palm Beach Cardinals. Keep an eye out for the Jupiter Hammerheads this year; we will definitely be a fun team to keep track of!
I’ll be back in a few days so sum up our first series of the year. Thank you guys so much for all the support back home. It’s always nice to know that I have such a great group of people that have my back, regardless of I go 0-4 or 4-4.
“Tough times don’t last but tough people do.” I know I’ve used that quote before but it’s my favorite and I wanted to start the season of with one that meant the most to
As for me, count me in with the rest of every minor leaguer. I’m go into this season after finishing strong the last week of spring training, and going into it healthier and stronger than I have ever been. Physically I can compete with anyone out there, but what separates the big leaguers from the minor leaguers is the ability to be stronger mentally than anyone out there. From what I’ve heard, the Florida State League will definitely challenge the mental capacity of any hitter. In our first meeting with our hitting coach he told us that there wouldn’t be any complaining about the conditions or the size of the field. That alone should eliminate a lot of the built in excuses that come with playing in the FSL.
I’ve set a bunch of goals that I want to accomplish throughout this year. First I thought of some mental/approach goals and then some numbers goals. The way I look at it is that if I come to the park every day ready to get better and I accomplish all my mental/approach goals then the numbers will all take care of themselves and I’ll be where I want to be at the end of the year.
Since my last blog I’ve had a few amazing things happen to me. On the last day of spring training I came into the locker room to find my name, along with about 10 other minor leaguers, on the daily plan sheet to dress out for the final major leaguer spring training game. I have no idea how the organization decides who get to suit up for these games, but nonetheless I took it as an honor. When you play in a big league game you get to wear your pants however you want, you get a one ear flap helmet, and best of all you get $30 for the day (meal money). The game got underway at 12:05 and after one at bat for all the big leaguers it was 1:05 and it was a slew of Marlins minor leaguers vs. the Toronto Blue Jays starting lineup. I played first base and got two at bats (struck out the first and grounded out the second). I had an unbelievable time just seeing how everyone goes about doing their job in such a professional manner. The game ended up in a 1-1 tie and I was left with the feeling of wanting more. I’ve now stored that feeling away and am going to use it as fuel to drive me to reach that ultimate goal.
The second exciting thing in my life is that I’ve now moved into what I would call a duplex/condo/townhouse. I’m living with Jameson Smith, Ryan Curry, and Tom Hickman; all great guys who I played with last year in Greensboro. Our living area is about 15 minutes walking distance from the field in a town called Abacoa. We’re having to pay quite a bit more than we paid last year for our place but I knew going in that no matter what kind of place that we would find we would have to pay a pretty hefty fee because of the inflated price of living down here. I’ve turned the bottom floor, which used to be a living room area, into my bedroom. After a few trips to Wal-Mart to construct a make shift closet and bed I’m finally all settled in for what should be an amazing six months.
Our first game is tonight at 7:05 against the Palm Beach Cardinals. Keep an eye out for the Jupiter Hammerheads this year; we will definitely be a fun team to keep track of!
I’ll be back in a few days so sum up our first series of the year. Thank you guys so much for all the support back home. It’s always nice to know that I have such a great group of people that have my back, regardless of I go 0-4 or 4-4.
“Tough times don’t last but tough people do.” I know I’ve used that quote before but it’s my favorite and I wanted to start the season of with one that meant the most to
Friday, April 3, 2009
Final Roster
Tomorrow will be our last day of spring training and with a day left the management set our final rosters for the low a and high a affiliates. Before we went out to the field they made their final roster adjustments and when we gathered around for our meeting for the day we were told to take a deep breath because we had endured all of the releases. As we were standing there listening to our field coordinator talk about how hard his job was I thought about what a difficult thing it would be to have to tell someone that they weren’t going to be able to continue to follow their dreams with the organization. In the long run most everyone will have to face being told that they got released. A couple days ago the Marlins released a player who hit 40 plus homeruns last year. That’s the business of baseball though; organizations are always looking out for the best product to put on the field to represent the ownership.
Today was a pretty interesting day for me also. Right before we headed outside, the high a first baseman was called in to see the farm director. He came back to the locker room with a look on his face reminiscent of someone who had just seen a ghost, it wasn’t a good sign. He told everyone what they had told him and part of what they said was that I was going to be playing first base this year. I had thought that I would play over there every once in awhile but I quickly realized that I would be playing over there a lot more than I had originally thought. Before today there had only been one game that I had played over at first base this spring, another reason why it was such a surprise to me. If you haven’t picked up on it yet I will be starting this year with the Jupiter Hammerheads, our high a affiliate.
Our team, on paper, looks as if it should be a pretty solid team. We have prospects who are 19 and we have vets who are 28. We’re carrying 6 outfielders, which is almost unheard of, but a few guys are also able to play some other positions, myself included. Only one of our starting pitchers from Greensboro made the jump to high a and a handful of relievers were with him. All together I will be playing with around 8 guys that I played with last year.
The league that I will be playing in, the Florida State League, has the reputation of being one of the toughest leagues in minor league baseball for hitters. It’s a combination of the pitching getting better and the ballparks are big and the ball doesn’t fly well in Florida in the middle of summer. I think that most organizations look at the league as a make or break league. A lot of guys have made their careers in this league. The common opinion is that if you can hit in the Florida State League then you can hit in the big leagues. I look at it as a win-win situation. Nobody expects hitters to put up great numbers and if you do then it looks that much better. I’m looking forward to the year; I’m going to take what they give me and try not to give any at bats away.
The FSL is also one of the best leagues in terms of travel. Every team is in Florida so there won’t be any 14 hour trips like you experience in most every other league. We also play all of our games in nice ballparks, all of which are spring training homes to various teams. The one downside that everyone talks about is the lack of fans at the games. I don’t really see that as a big deal though, I can remember some cold mid-week games back at Missouri where we would be able to count 15 or so people sitting in the stands. When it comes down to it baseball is a game of a bunch of head to head matchups and during those matchups nothing else should matter.
I have a few more stories for you guys later this week. I just wanted to let everyone know what I would be doing this summer. I would love for everyone out there to come down to south Florida and take a vacation and in the meantime you could catch a Hammerheads game!
“If I’m going to do something, I do it spectacularly or I don’t do it at all.”
-Al-Waleed bin Talal
Today was a pretty interesting day for me also. Right before we headed outside, the high a first baseman was called in to see the farm director. He came back to the locker room with a look on his face reminiscent of someone who had just seen a ghost, it wasn’t a good sign. He told everyone what they had told him and part of what they said was that I was going to be playing first base this year. I had thought that I would play over there every once in awhile but I quickly realized that I would be playing over there a lot more than I had originally thought. Before today there had only been one game that I had played over at first base this spring, another reason why it was such a surprise to me. If you haven’t picked up on it yet I will be starting this year with the Jupiter Hammerheads, our high a affiliate.
Our team, on paper, looks as if it should be a pretty solid team. We have prospects who are 19 and we have vets who are 28. We’re carrying 6 outfielders, which is almost unheard of, but a few guys are also able to play some other positions, myself included. Only one of our starting pitchers from Greensboro made the jump to high a and a handful of relievers were with him. All together I will be playing with around 8 guys that I played with last year.
The league that I will be playing in, the Florida State League, has the reputation of being one of the toughest leagues in minor league baseball for hitters. It’s a combination of the pitching getting better and the ballparks are big and the ball doesn’t fly well in Florida in the middle of summer. I think that most organizations look at the league as a make or break league. A lot of guys have made their careers in this league. The common opinion is that if you can hit in the Florida State League then you can hit in the big leagues. I look at it as a win-win situation. Nobody expects hitters to put up great numbers and if you do then it looks that much better. I’m looking forward to the year; I’m going to take what they give me and try not to give any at bats away.
The FSL is also one of the best leagues in terms of travel. Every team is in Florida so there won’t be any 14 hour trips like you experience in most every other league. We also play all of our games in nice ballparks, all of which are spring training homes to various teams. The one downside that everyone talks about is the lack of fans at the games. I don’t really see that as a big deal though, I can remember some cold mid-week games back at Missouri where we would be able to count 15 or so people sitting in the stands. When it comes down to it baseball is a game of a bunch of head to head matchups and during those matchups nothing else should matter.
I have a few more stories for you guys later this week. I just wanted to let everyone know what I would be doing this summer. I would love for everyone out there to come down to south Florida and take a vacation and in the meantime you could catch a Hammerheads game!
“If I’m going to do something, I do it spectacularly or I don’t do it at all.”
-Al-Waleed bin Talal
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Spring Training update
Spring Training is winding down and it so hard for me to believe. It just seems like yesterday that I was getting a tow off of the side of the highway. For me it’s been a successful spring so far. I’ve been working extra hard getting ready for the year, not only in the cages but also on my mental game and physically strengthening my body. I’ve also been trying to pick the minds of some of the guys in the organization who have done well in the past. I talked to Logan Morrison, the Florida State League MVP, about his approach to his at bats and he told me that through 130 games last year he only gave away five at bats at most. Giving away an at bat would consist basically of stepping into the box without being fully engaged mentally in the at bat. I’ve been making sure that throughout Spring Training I make a habit to only step into the box when I am ready and my mind is 100 % in the right frame of mind.
I’m about 30 at bats into Spring Training and I’m slowly making the progress that I’ve been looking for. For me the hardest part of hitting is timing. When I’m struggling I can always link it back to not being on time, late or early. At the start of the games I was all right with making an out as long as I was seeing a lot of pitches and having a productive at bat. Lately it’s been paying off for me as I think that the more pitches that I saw early on have led to more successful at bats lately. So I guess if you were wondering how things were going for me on the field, you now know. I’ve made some progress in the areas where I’ve wanted to and I’m still working for the start of the season.
Spring Training days can be very long and drawn out at times. I usually wake up around 6:00 and get to the field at around 6:45. My day at the field usually comes to an end around 6:30 PM. Obviously there’s a lot of time in between spent with teammates. I’ve made an effort to become closer with more of the guys in the organization. When you have people that you get along well with around you, it makes the day much more enjoyable. The group that I’m in, the high a group, consists of guys anywhere from 19 to 28, but everyone has one thing in common and that’s the dream of making it all the way to the big leagues. For the most part we are all in the same boat, and everyone can relate to how things are going for you at any given point.
One of the down sides to becoming close with someone in an organization is that you never know when that locker right next to you might become unoccupied. If you can remember back to last year my roommate, Jordan, was released towards the beginning of Spring Training. It’s such a tough thing to ponder because you never want the thought of getting released creep into your mind. I always like to think that I’m making a good impression and that I’m going to make a team but the realist in me realizes that at some point I will most likely get a tap on my shoulder to see the assistant general manager or that call in the off season from a higher up in the organization. I don’t worry about all that stuff though, I ease my mind by working hard and giving it all I have and that gives me the satisfaction of knowing that people will see that and respect the way that I go about my business.
Minor league baseball players can resemble young high school girls if you were to ever overhear a conversation between a group of players. Before our 9 AM meeting begins everyone stand around in the outfield in groups talking about who got released, who’s on the chopping block, and who is safe. I can always expect to get out to the outfield and hear someone ask me if I had heard about what happened to so and so. You never want to hear your name come up in those conversations or in the conversations about who is about to get released. In my opinion the organization has their mind about 90% of the way made up before Spring Training even begins. During my first year a guy who had a mediocre previous year hit three home runs and the next day he was let go. It’s hard for me to believe that he was given a fair shot during Spring Training to make a team. There are plenty of stories like that and everyone always seems to have an excuse as to why they weren’t given a fair opportunity. I’ve heard about every excuse in the book and they all are exactly that; excuses. Our manage last year told us that you can go through your whole life blaming the world for your misfortunes but you won’t ever get anywhere until you take responsibility for the actions and reactions in your life.
One of the great things for me about Spring Training is getting to be close to the big leaguers and seeing behind the scenes action. I still feel like the same kid, walking around the facility, that I was when I was 14 going down to Spring Training in Peoria, Arizona. I’m as big of a fan as any of the players that I’ve encountered. A lot of guys are fans but they don’t ask for autographs or try and talk to the big leaguers because they don’t want to look like a little kid basically. I, however have realized that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m going to take full advantage of it. If you can remember my blogs from last year I got pictures taken with various big leaguers. I’ve continued getting pictures this year. About a week ago I got a chance to meet Ryan Howard and my new favorite player, Chase Utley. They were both really grounded and down to earth. I talked to Howard about being from Missouri and I found out that he played on the St. Louis Lafayette basketball team that lost to Liberty in the 1998 state championship game. Utley was a real quiet guy and he seemed to be really surprised that someone would want a picture and a little chat with him.
A few days ago I got the chance to meet Hunter Pence, ya that’s his real name, weird right?!?! When I introduced myself I told him my name and he didn’t believe me. If I was in his position I don’t think I would believe it either. The chance of someone having a name so similar to mine is ridiculous. He was a great guy; he asked me about how my career was going and asked about my personal life. It’s a rare thing to talk to a big leaguer and for them to take such an interest in your life. Just think of how neat of a story they could make if Hunter Mense played against Hunter Pence in the big leagues, anything can happen.
There is only about a week left in Spring Training and I feel like I’m finally getting to a point where I am fully prepared for the season. Even though Spring Training has been shorter this year the organization has done a good job of getting everything in while keeping everyone fresh. I’ve also already had my first visit when my mom came down earlier this week and stayed for a few days. It was great to see her but I always feel so bad because I’m so busy all the time that I don’t get to spend as much time with her as I like to. It’s the same thing with Amber, but I think all the special people in my life realize how busy I am and are able to keep that in perspective.
I will definitely blog again in a few days and update everyone on my status as a baseball player and a player in the game of life. I hope everyone out there is doing well and you guys have no idea how much it means to me that you actually enjoy reading what I have to write!
“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think they were impossible,”
-Vince Lombardi
I’m about 30 at bats into Spring Training and I’m slowly making the progress that I’ve been looking for. For me the hardest part of hitting is timing. When I’m struggling I can always link it back to not being on time, late or early. At the start of the games I was all right with making an out as long as I was seeing a lot of pitches and having a productive at bat. Lately it’s been paying off for me as I think that the more pitches that I saw early on have led to more successful at bats lately. So I guess if you were wondering how things were going for me on the field, you now know. I’ve made some progress in the areas where I’ve wanted to and I’m still working for the start of the season.
Spring Training days can be very long and drawn out at times. I usually wake up around 6:00 and get to the field at around 6:45. My day at the field usually comes to an end around 6:30 PM. Obviously there’s a lot of time in between spent with teammates. I’ve made an effort to become closer with more of the guys in the organization. When you have people that you get along well with around you, it makes the day much more enjoyable. The group that I’m in, the high a group, consists of guys anywhere from 19 to 28, but everyone has one thing in common and that’s the dream of making it all the way to the big leagues. For the most part we are all in the same boat, and everyone can relate to how things are going for you at any given point.
One of the down sides to becoming close with someone in an organization is that you never know when that locker right next to you might become unoccupied. If you can remember back to last year my roommate, Jordan, was released towards the beginning of Spring Training. It’s such a tough thing to ponder because you never want the thought of getting released creep into your mind. I always like to think that I’m making a good impression and that I’m going to make a team but the realist in me realizes that at some point I will most likely get a tap on my shoulder to see the assistant general manager or that call in the off season from a higher up in the organization. I don’t worry about all that stuff though, I ease my mind by working hard and giving it all I have and that gives me the satisfaction of knowing that people will see that and respect the way that I go about my business.
Minor league baseball players can resemble young high school girls if you were to ever overhear a conversation between a group of players. Before our 9 AM meeting begins everyone stand around in the outfield in groups talking about who got released, who’s on the chopping block, and who is safe. I can always expect to get out to the outfield and hear someone ask me if I had heard about what happened to so and so. You never want to hear your name come up in those conversations or in the conversations about who is about to get released. In my opinion the organization has their mind about 90% of the way made up before Spring Training even begins. During my first year a guy who had a mediocre previous year hit three home runs and the next day he was let go. It’s hard for me to believe that he was given a fair shot during Spring Training to make a team. There are plenty of stories like that and everyone always seems to have an excuse as to why they weren’t given a fair opportunity. I’ve heard about every excuse in the book and they all are exactly that; excuses. Our manage last year told us that you can go through your whole life blaming the world for your misfortunes but you won’t ever get anywhere until you take responsibility for the actions and reactions in your life.
One of the great things for me about Spring Training is getting to be close to the big leaguers and seeing behind the scenes action. I still feel like the same kid, walking around the facility, that I was when I was 14 going down to Spring Training in Peoria, Arizona. I’m as big of a fan as any of the players that I’ve encountered. A lot of guys are fans but they don’t ask for autographs or try and talk to the big leaguers because they don’t want to look like a little kid basically. I, however have realized that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m going to take full advantage of it. If you can remember my blogs from last year I got pictures taken with various big leaguers. I’ve continued getting pictures this year. About a week ago I got a chance to meet Ryan Howard and my new favorite player, Chase Utley. They were both really grounded and down to earth. I talked to Howard about being from Missouri and I found out that he played on the St. Louis Lafayette basketball team that lost to Liberty in the 1998 state championship game. Utley was a real quiet guy and he seemed to be really surprised that someone would want a picture and a little chat with him.
A few days ago I got the chance to meet Hunter Pence, ya that’s his real name, weird right?!?! When I introduced myself I told him my name and he didn’t believe me. If I was in his position I don’t think I would believe it either. The chance of someone having a name so similar to mine is ridiculous. He was a great guy; he asked me about how my career was going and asked about my personal life. It’s a rare thing to talk to a big leaguer and for them to take such an interest in your life. Just think of how neat of a story they could make if Hunter Mense played against Hunter Pence in the big leagues, anything can happen.
There is only about a week left in Spring Training and I feel like I’m finally getting to a point where I am fully prepared for the season. Even though Spring Training has been shorter this year the organization has done a good job of getting everything in while keeping everyone fresh. I’ve also already had my first visit when my mom came down earlier this week and stayed for a few days. It was great to see her but I always feel so bad because I’m so busy all the time that I don’t get to spend as much time with her as I like to. It’s the same thing with Amber, but I think all the special people in my life realize how busy I am and are able to keep that in perspective.
I will definitely blog again in a few days and update everyone on my status as a baseball player and a player in the game of life. I hope everyone out there is doing well and you guys have no idea how much it means to me that you actually enjoy reading what I have to write!
“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think they were impossible,”
-Vince Lombardi
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Spring Training...a real American vacation!
My burnt arms are turning into a tan and my legs are sore from standing around, that can only mean one thing; we’re more than a week into Spring Training!
We finally started playing games yesterday. I forgot how great of a feeling it was to be on a baseball field, under the sun, competing and chasing a dream. It’s such a great thing when the first game of the spring arrives. Everyone begins with a clean slate so that when there’s an out made or a walk given out there aren’t that many “f” bombs thrown around, in a few days though that will definitely change. I take these games very serious but I also realize that there is a long season ahead where I’m going to be frustrated at some point, so for the spring I try and stay as even keeled at possible. One of my goals for this season is to carry a part of my spring training mentality into the regular season. It always seems that the best players are the ones who are able to forget about their previous at bats or games and learn and go forward with that even keeled attitude.
For our game yesterday we traveled north on I-95 to Port St. Lucie to play the Mets. I led off the game with a strikeout, but battled and saw a lot of pitches so for me it was a successful at bat. My next at bat I doubled to left center and my final at bat I walked. We won the game 7-4 and everyone seemed to be happy with the way that things had went. I was happy about my first game back. I saw a lot of pitches, squared a ball up, and got on base a couple times.
When I talk to people about professional baseball one of the questions that always comes up is ‘Is there any type of a team concept?’. I have honestly always been kind of baffled by that question and didn’t really know what my honest opinion was. Last year I finally began to grasp the answer to that question. One thing that I’ve learned about pro ball is that you always have to look out for yourself, because if you don’t then chances are that you’ll be taken advantage of. Our team was once told last year that you need to play for the name on the back of your jersey and collect a check from the name that’s on the front of your jersey. I agree with that to a certain extent. This will be my 4th year in pro ball and I feel like I’m beginning to figure out how to go about my business when it comes to winning games and developing as a player. Of course you’re playing for yourself but the way I look at it is that if you win everyone is in a better mood and when you’re in a good mood, things always seem to go better for you personally. When I first got into pro ball my natural feeling was that I didn’t want any of the other position players to do well because those are guys that I was competing against to make it to the show. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that all I need to worry about is myself. If I take care of what I need to and put up good enough numbers then I’ll make it, no matter what everyone else in the organization does. Granted I might not make it with the Marlins but there are 31 other teams out there that have big league teams that hold the same dream.
One of the really neat things about being in Jupiter during this time of the year is that I feel right at home when I look around the parking lot of our hotel. It’s not often that you go to South Florida and see an abundance of Missouri license plates. As much as I dislike the Cardinals, I will have to admit that they have a very loyal and dedicated bunch of fans. I always enjoy striking up conversations with the Cardinals fans around the hotel. Most of the time they are retired couples, grouped with other retired couples, who are down on their annual trip down to Jupiter to watch their beloved Cardinals. Last night I struck up a conversation with a couple from St. Louis and a couple from Cape Girardeau. They were very excited to hear that a Missouri boy was living out his childhood dream. We talked for about a half an hour and today they stopped by and watch my teammates and I play our game against the Cardinals. That’s when you know that someone is a true baseball fan, when they go to the back fields to watch a bunch of young minor leaguers play. They made sure and said hi to me before I walked back over to our side and it absolutely made my day. I ran into them once again tonight in the hotel lobby and we talked once again for about 30 minutes about baseball, Mizzou athletics, and high school football. Anyone who is able to talk sports and have some intelligent input is a person who I can talk to for hours, and that is exactly how these two families are. I hate to say it, but my opinion of Cardinals fans is slowly shifting, very very slowly shifting!
This blog has taken me awhile to write, the NCAA tournament is such a distracting thing, so I’ll save my stories about getting to meet Chase Utley and Ryan Howard for my next blog. Not to mention that my girlfriend, Amber, has a game starting in about 10 minutes that I’m planning on listening to on the computer/radio. She’s another story too that I’ll save for a later date.
Come back in a few days and I should have a new blog posted.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
We finally started playing games yesterday. I forgot how great of a feeling it was to be on a baseball field, under the sun, competing and chasing a dream. It’s such a great thing when the first game of the spring arrives. Everyone begins with a clean slate so that when there’s an out made or a walk given out there aren’t that many “f” bombs thrown around, in a few days though that will definitely change. I take these games very serious but I also realize that there is a long season ahead where I’m going to be frustrated at some point, so for the spring I try and stay as even keeled at possible. One of my goals for this season is to carry a part of my spring training mentality into the regular season. It always seems that the best players are the ones who are able to forget about their previous at bats or games and learn and go forward with that even keeled attitude.
For our game yesterday we traveled north on I-95 to Port St. Lucie to play the Mets. I led off the game with a strikeout, but battled and saw a lot of pitches so for me it was a successful at bat. My next at bat I doubled to left center and my final at bat I walked. We won the game 7-4 and everyone seemed to be happy with the way that things had went. I was happy about my first game back. I saw a lot of pitches, squared a ball up, and got on base a couple times.
When I talk to people about professional baseball one of the questions that always comes up is ‘Is there any type of a team concept?’. I have honestly always been kind of baffled by that question and didn’t really know what my honest opinion was. Last year I finally began to grasp the answer to that question. One thing that I’ve learned about pro ball is that you always have to look out for yourself, because if you don’t then chances are that you’ll be taken advantage of. Our team was once told last year that you need to play for the name on the back of your jersey and collect a check from the name that’s on the front of your jersey. I agree with that to a certain extent. This will be my 4th year in pro ball and I feel like I’m beginning to figure out how to go about my business when it comes to winning games and developing as a player. Of course you’re playing for yourself but the way I look at it is that if you win everyone is in a better mood and when you’re in a good mood, things always seem to go better for you personally. When I first got into pro ball my natural feeling was that I didn’t want any of the other position players to do well because those are guys that I was competing against to make it to the show. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that all I need to worry about is myself. If I take care of what I need to and put up good enough numbers then I’ll make it, no matter what everyone else in the organization does. Granted I might not make it with the Marlins but there are 31 other teams out there that have big league teams that hold the same dream.
One of the really neat things about being in Jupiter during this time of the year is that I feel right at home when I look around the parking lot of our hotel. It’s not often that you go to South Florida and see an abundance of Missouri license plates. As much as I dislike the Cardinals, I will have to admit that they have a very loyal and dedicated bunch of fans. I always enjoy striking up conversations with the Cardinals fans around the hotel. Most of the time they are retired couples, grouped with other retired couples, who are down on their annual trip down to Jupiter to watch their beloved Cardinals. Last night I struck up a conversation with a couple from St. Louis and a couple from Cape Girardeau. They were very excited to hear that a Missouri boy was living out his childhood dream. We talked for about a half an hour and today they stopped by and watch my teammates and I play our game against the Cardinals. That’s when you know that someone is a true baseball fan, when they go to the back fields to watch a bunch of young minor leaguers play. They made sure and said hi to me before I walked back over to our side and it absolutely made my day. I ran into them once again tonight in the hotel lobby and we talked once again for about 30 minutes about baseball, Mizzou athletics, and high school football. Anyone who is able to talk sports and have some intelligent input is a person who I can talk to for hours, and that is exactly how these two families are. I hate to say it, but my opinion of Cardinals fans is slowly shifting, very very slowly shifting!
This blog has taken me awhile to write, the NCAA tournament is such a distracting thing, so I’ll save my stories about getting to meet Chase Utley and Ryan Howard for my next blog. Not to mention that my girlfriend, Amber, has a game starting in about 10 minutes that I’m planning on listening to on the computer/radio. She’s another story too that I’ll save for a later date.
Come back in a few days and I should have a new blog posted.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
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