Tagged: Brevard County Manatees
Nine ex-‘Tees Factor in Double-A Scoreless Streak- TBT 5/8
Have you been following the Double-A Huntsville Stars’ pitching staff? Well, if you have you’ve seen a slew of former Manatees hurlers combine to set the Stars’ club record for consecutive scoreless innings. Nine Brevard County alumni, including five 2013 ‘Tees, helped the Stars rattle off 34 straight innings without allowing a run.
The streak began on May 2 in Montgomery, AL when RHP Casey Medlen (’13) pitched a perfect seventh inning against the Biscuits. Huntsville kept rolling from there and did not allow another run until the fifth inning of yesterday’s game against the Jackson Generals.
All but one of the 34 shutout innings were tossed by an ex-Manatee. The lone outlier was RHP Arcenio Leon who pitched a pair of scoreless frames on May 5 against the Generals. Other than Leon, all the work was done by these ex-‘Tees:
RHP Casey Medlen (’13)
Struck out one over a hitless seventh inning at Montgomery. That outing on May 2 began the streak.
Streak Stats: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K
RHP Tim Dillard (’05)
After Medlen’s scoreless outing on May 2, Dillard came in and shut down the Biscuits over the final two frames. The Stars won that game, 9-1, but Dillard was not finished making his mark on the scoreless streak.
The right-hander came out of the bullpen on May 6, as well. That day, Dillard worked a one-two-three eighth inning in a 5-0 victory against Jackson.
Streak Stats: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R
LHP Brent Suter (’13)
Just two starts after took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Mobile, Suter turned in another tremendous performance at Montgomery. Suter kept Huntsville’s shutout streak intact with seven scoreless innings at Montgomery on 5/3.
Suter and his 2013 Manatees teammate, RHP Drew Gagnon, had the longest outings of any Stars pitcher during the streak.
Streak Stats: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K
RHP Kevin Shackelford (’13)
The 6’5” right-hander finished what Suter started on 5/3. Shackelford shut out the Biscuits in the eighth and ninth innings on 5/3. He walked two and allowed a hit, but struck out two to keep the zero in Montgomery’s column in an 11-0 Stars win.
Streak Stats: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Tyler Cravy (’13)
Cinco de Mayo was Cravy’s day to put a zero on the board. The 2013 ‘Tee put together six scoreless innings and struck out six Jackson Generals on 5/5. Cravy only allowed three hits and registered one hit-by-pitch.
Streak Stats: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 HB, 5 K
RHP David Goforth (’13)
Leon took the ball for two innings on Cinco de Mayo after Cravy tossed his gem. After that, however, the mound belonged to another ex-Manatee in Goforth. With the Stars only leading 2-0, Goforth had to shut the door and he did just that in the ninth.
Goforth pitched a one-two-three ninth inning en route to his seventh save and a Huntsville win. The Stars’ scoreless streak was alive and well at 21 innings.
Streak Stats: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R
RHP Drew Gagnon (’13)
Gagnon equaled Suter’s performance from three nights prior with seven shutout innings on 5/6. The righty got into a little trouble with three walks and four hits, but skirted danger to keep zeros on the scoreboard for Jackson.
The 2013 Brevard hurler stranded a runner on third base after a leadoff double in the third inning, then picked a runner off of second to end the following inning. Gagnon worked out of dodge in the sixth inning, as well. The starter issued a pair of two-out walks, but nothing came of them, as he struck out the last batter of the inning.
Streak Stats: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K
RHP Tommy Toledo (’14)
In just his third Double-A appearance since being called up from Brevard County, Toledo shut down Jackson to improve Huntsville’s scoreless streak to 30 innings. The ex-Manatees closer held the Generals off the scoreboard in the ninth inning to secure a 5-0 win for Huntsville.
Streak Stats: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB
RHP Taylor Jungmann (’12)
Huntsville’s scoreless innings streak ended with Jungmann, but not before he threw four more zeros on the scoreboard. After four shutout frames, Jungmann allowed three runs (one earned) with one out in the fifth inning against Jackson on May 7.
Huntsville committed two errors that inning and Jungmann surrendered two hits and two walks, as the Stars fell, 7-2.
Streak Stats (before allowing a run): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
All told, the Manatees accounted for 32.1 straight scoreless innings. The Brevard alumni struck out 22 men, surrendered 14 hits, walked seven and hit one batter to help the Stars set a new club record.
‘Tees OF Contends for FSL Weekly Award
It’s too bad the Florida State League can only hand out one award for Player of the Week because the entire Manatees outfield could have been honored for its performance over the last seven days. Michael Reed ultimately took the prize, but Victor Roache and Tyrone Taylor made the decision tougher than it should have been for the league’s front office.
Reed-iculous:
We’ll start with the winner. Reed seemingly reached base every time he stepped into the batter’s box this week. The ‘Tees right fielder compiled a .700 on base percentage (21-for-30) on the week with eight walks and one hit-by-pitch.
Reed, however, was not solely a free-pass machine. The FSL Player of the Week was 12-for-27 at the plate (.571 AVG) and doubled his career home run total with a pair of long balls over a six-game span.
Adding to his banner week, Reed registered four multi-hit games, legged out four doubles, stole three times out of five attempts, scored nine runs and drove in five. Just for good measure, the right fielder was nearly impossible to retire on strikes. Reed struck out just once in 30 plate appearances.
Michael Reed won FSL Player of the Week with a .571 batting average and two home runs.
Tour De Taylor:
Taylor’s bid for Player of the Week came early when he hit for the first cycle in Manatees history last Tuesday in Clearwater:
After the cycle, Taylor remained hot. The center fielder added to his stunning doubles total with four over a six-game stretch to give him a Minor League Baseball-best 14 on the season.
In addition, Taylor hit a pair of home runs and tripled once. The center fielder hit for a .444 average on the week and only five of his 12 hits were singles.
Big Stick Vick:
Roache made a late charge for the FSL’s weekly award when he made history on Sunday night. The left fielder became the first player in the 21-year history of the Brevard County Manatees to homer three times in one game. Roache did not waste any time, either. He hit his bombs in each of his first three at-bats:
Roache’s power-driven Sunday was the highlight of a strong week for the left fielder. Roache drove home 10 runs and compiled four multi-RBI games. He also hit for a .375 average (9-for-24) with a double and a triple.
‘Tees Tidbits:
The collective efforts of Reed, Taylor and Roache have helped the Manatees win five of their six games this week. Brevard’s other outfielders also performed well during that stretch.
Jose Sermo scored the eventual game-winning run on Monday when he stole third and scampered home as the throw skipped into left field. Nathan Orf walked five times and was hit by a pitch to register a .421 on base percentage. Meanwhile, Major League rehabber Logan Schafer laced an RBI double in his second at-bat with the ‘Tees.
Throwback Thursday – May 1, 2014
In just three days, Brevard County Manatees alumni have given us a lot to reflect on. The ‘Tees welcomed back a familiar face for a Major League rehab assignment, watched one of their former outfielders propel the Brew Crew to victory and saw a well-remembered right-hander toss a gem for Triple-A Nashville.
Welcome Back Logan
A strained hamstring has landed Brewers OF Logan Schafer (’09) on the 15-day disabled list, but he is working his way back. As part of his rehab stint, the 2009 Manatees alum returned to the Florida State League to join Brevard County for a pair of games in Clearwater on Monday and Tuesday. Here’s what Schafer had to say about recovering from his injury and spending some time with this year’s crop of ‘Tees:
Klutch Khris
The Brew Crew got used to extra innings at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Milwaukee won a pair of extra-innings contests against the Cardinals and LF Khris Davis (’11) delivered the big hit on Monday to help the Brewers win in 12:
Fiers-baller
RHP Mike Fiers (’09) has had a banner start to 2014. The former ‘Tee is 5-0 with a miniscule 0.80 ERA for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. His start on Wednesday, in the opener of a doubleheader, however, was likely his best outing of the season. In a 1-0 win over the New Orleans Zephyrs. Fiers fanned 11 men in a complete game (seven innings) shutout. As you’ll hear, punch-outs have been pretty common for Fiers this year:
Happy Birthday to You!
Before we go, it’s time for a few TBT birthday wishes to some of our own. A very happy birthday to Brewers 2B Scooter Gennett (’11), who turns 24 today! Gennett will carry a .302 batting average into Cincinnati, as the Brew Crew gets set for a four-game series with the Reds.
Gennett wasn’t the only Manatee to celebrate a birthday this week. Current Brevard LHP Hobbs Johnson celebrated his 23rd birthday on Tuesday by tossing six shutout innings in a 20-0 win over the Clearwater Threshers. Meanwhile, on the same day, OF Tyrone Taylor hit for the first ever cycle in Manatees history on his mother’s birthday:
Bradley Continues to Baffle Opponents
LHP Jed Bradley enters tonight’s ball game leading Brevard County in strikeouts (29) and tied for the team lead in wins (3).
As the 15th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, expectations have always been high for Jed Bradley. After a rocky couple of seasons, it seems as if Bradley has found his groove out on the mound.
In his first season with the Manatees back in 2012, Bradley did not allow an earned run through his initial three starts, but struggled from there on out. The left-hander finished the season with a 5-10 record and an ERA up over five and a half.
2013 was better for Jed, but there were still plenty of struggles. His ERA came down a full run, but was only able to compile a 4-4 record, surrendering 81 hits over 78.1 innings, in 16 starts before his season was cut short due to injury.
However, in his first five starts of 2014, Jed Bradley has been absolutely stellar. Since taking the loss in a rough outing against the Daytona Cubs in his first start of the season, Bradley has put together the best four-game stretch of his professional career.
Starting with his April 11 victory at Dunedin, Bradley has gone 3-0 with a 1.22 ERA. The Huntsville, Ala. native has surrendered just three runs, allowing no more than one run in each appearance. As well, Bradley has allowed a career-low fourteen hits over 22 innings of work.
Similarly, the former first-round pick has struck out 25 batters, also a career-best for four straight outings, including recording a career-high nine punch outs in a no-decision last night in Daytona.
His best night on the bump came on April 16, when he blanked the Lakeland Flying Tigers over six innings en route to the Manatees second 1-0 victory of the season. The performance resulted in being named the Florida State League Pitcher of Week, the first ‘Tee to receive the honor since Brent Suter won it in June of last year.
A big key to Bradley’s success during this time frame has been his ability to retire the lead-off man. Since his loss to Daytona on April 5, Bradley has allowed just three of 22 lead-off batters (.095 batting average) to reach base on two singles and a walk. Even more impressive, only one of those players have come across to score a run, with the other two being retired trying to steal.
With the Brewers Double-A affiliate, the Huntsville Stars, slated to move out of state to Biloxi, Miss. next season, Bradley looks determined to get a chance to make his home starts right where he grew up. If the left-hander continues to pitch the way he has over the first month of the season, he’ll get that opportunity sooner rather than later.
Throwback Thursday – April 24, 2014
Want to know how good LHP Brent Suter (’13) has been this season for the Double-A Huntsville Stars? Just ask the Mobile BayBears hitters. Suter took a no-hitter into the ninth against Mobile yesterday and finished with one hit over eight innings, as the Stars won, 4-1.
Suter, who went 7-9 with a 3.63 ERA with Brevard County last season, kept a zero in the BayBears’ hit column until Raywilly Gomez singled to lead off the ninth inning. The left-hander was pulled from the game after giving up the no-hitter, but RHP Arcenio Leon finished the job in the ninth.
Gomez scored later in the ninth, but that was the only Mobile tally on the afternoon. Suter finished with one run on one hit and one walk over eight innings of work. The southpaw struck out seven in the performance.
The former Manatees lefty has been a tough assignment for Southern League hitters. One year after pitching for Brevard County, the 24-year old has started the 2014 campaign 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA for Double-A Huntsville. Suter has also ramped up his strikeout game since reaching Double-A:
Suter averages 8.64 K/9 with 24 punch-outs through 25.0 innings. That average is more than a strikeout better per game compared to last year (7.04 K/9). The left-hander is scheduled to make his next start on Monday at the Tennessee Smokies.
Keepin’ it Close: ‘Tees Excel in One-Run Games
Tyrone Taylor is hitting a team-best .347 in one-run ballgames this season.
Precious few games have come easy for the Brevard County Manatees in 2014. The Manatees are 10-6, but through the first 16 games of the season, Brevard County has played six one-run ballgames to tie for the Florida State League-lead. Fortunately for the ‘Tees, they have won four of those contests. Let’s take a look at how they’ve done it:
Tyrone Taylor
When the ‘Tees are in a tight game, it is usually not a shootout. Brevard County has not scored more than five runs in its one-run contests. While most of the ‘Tees struggle in these games, however, Tyrone Taylor excels. In one-run ballgames, Taylor is hitting .347, while the rest of the team has hit .185.
The center fielder has also hit six of his MiLB-leading 10 doubles in one-run ballgames, leading him to a .609 slugging percentage in those contests. On 4/7 at Daytona, Taylor tied a career-high with three doubles in a 5-4 win. He also had a pretty decent defensive play:
What’s more, Taylor has been the deciding factor in two of Brevard’s six one-run games. He has contributed one game-winning run and one game-winning RBI, plus the game-tying double, heard above.
Bullpen
Two weeks ago, we told you how good the Manatees bullpen had been at the start of the season. That certainly has not changed and the relievers appear to be even better in games decided by one run:
ERA: 0.86 (2 ER/21 IP)
WHIP: 0.95 (15 H & 5 BB/21 IP)
K/9: 7.71 (18 K/21 IP)
Whether you’re a starter or a reliever, though, it certainly doesn’t hurt when you get some defensive assistance like this to help win a one-run ballgame:
Closers
As the Manatees’ closers, Tanner Poppe and Tommy Toledo are at the center of Brevard’s bullpen success. Neither of them has given up an earned run and it has been a struggle for hitters to get on board against them:
ERA: 0.00 (0 ER/7.2 IP)
WHIP: 1.04 (7 H & 1 BB/7.2 IP)
K/9: 9.39 (8 K/7.2 IP)
Talk about unhittable, Poppe in particular has bore down when his team needs him. The right-hander has recorded three of his five saves in one-run games and has struck out seven of the 17 men he has faced. Does that sound like a lot? It should, because that mark gives Poppe a K/9 rate of 15.75 in games decided by one run.
‘Tees Tidbits: Brevard County has also faired well in three-run contests this season. The ‘Tees are 3-0 in games decided by three runs. They are 1-1 in games decided by two runs.
‘Tees Throwback Thursday – April 17, 2014
In this week’s Throwback Thursday, we take you back to 2011. It may not be that long ago, but the players who took over Space Coast Stadium that year have been showing off some tremendous glove-work, helping the Milwaukee Brewers rattle off nine straight wins and take first place in the National League Central.
Scooter Gennett is hitting .308 in his last five games, but here he exhibits his range at second base:
Not to be outdone, Khris Davis made his defensive presence known on Jackie Robinson Day:
As if that wasn’t enough defense from the 2011 ‘Tees, check out Logan Schafer:
Meanwhile, at Triple-A Nashville, Hunter Morris, another 2011 Manatee, is doing what he has always done with the bat. Two days ago, the left-handed power hitter did this against the Memphis Redbirds:
‘Tees Tidbits: The 2011 ‘Tees feature three current Major Leaguers (Davis, Gennett and Schafer), one Triple-A prospect (Morris) and two members of the Double-A Huntsville Stars (Kentrail Davis and Josh Prince).
Vero Beach: Dodgertown or ‘Teestown?
Damien Magnifico’s first pitch in tomorrow’s Jackie Robinson Celebration Game at Vero Beach will etch the Brevard County Manatees and Lakeland Flying Tigers into the renowned history of Holman Stadium. Magnifico, however, will not be the first Manatees hurler to toss an historic pitch at the Dodgers’ long-time spring training home.
Historic Dodgertown has missed professional baseball. After enjoying Dodgers spring training from 1948-2008, Holman Stadium has not hosted a professional baseball game for six years. The last spring training game in Vero Beach was March 17, 2008 and the final pitch thrown in a Dodgers uniform was delivered by former Manatees left-hander Mike Myers.
Myers, who made three appearances for Brevard County in the team’s 1994 inaugural season, signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers in January, 2008 and was invited to spring training. The submarine-hurling southpaw made 11 appearances for Los Angeles that spring, including a relief outing against the Houston Astros in the team’s farewell to Dodgertown.
Los Angeles trailed 12-10 in the ninth, following a go-ahead two-run homer by DH Nick Gorneault. With two outs, Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda – who was managing the team for a week while Joe Torre took a split squad to China – called on Myers to face Houston LF David Newhan.
Myers, a left-handed specialist during most of his 13-year Major League career, struck out Newhan to end the ninth inning. Houston’s Carlos Hines set the Dodgers down in the bottom half of the inning, thus making Myers the final Dodger to pitch at Holman Stadium.
Last Time at Vero
Though the Dodgers played their final spring training game at Holman Stadium in March of 2008, professional baseball remained at the complex through that summer with Tampa Bay’s Class-A Advanced affiliate, the Vero Beach Devil Rays.
Brevard County won its last game on the historic grounds on August 7. Future Major Leaguers Jonathan Lucroy and Mel Stocker hit home runs for the Manatees in a 6-3 victory. Another former big leaguer, Mike McClendon, earned the save. The ‘Tees went 11-7 in the 2008 season series against Vero Beach, including a three-game sweep in their final visit to Holman Stadium.
One year earlier, current Manatees coach Ned Yost IV played five games at Historic Dodgertown. Then a first baseman for the ‘Tees, Yost went 4-for-8 with three RBI at Vero Beach.
The Manatee with the closest ties to Vero Beach, however, is Brevard County first base coach Reggie Williams. From 1982-87, Williams called Holman Stadium his spring training home as a member of the Dodgers organization.
Williams also played two seasons with the Dodgers’ Florida State League affiliate in Vero Beach. In 1983, Williams stole 47 bases in 81 games for the Vero Beach Dodgers. The outfielder played one more season in Vero before making his Major League debut in 1985.
Reggie Williams’ Vero Beach Dodgers player card
‘Tees Throwback Thursday – April 10, 2014
Hey there, Manatees fans! Time for another edition of our Throwback Thursday. Let’s take a look at which former ‘Tees have been making noise across the Major Leagues this week.
The Milwaukee Brewers are off to a torrid start in 2014. The Brew Crew currently have a record of 6-2 and sit atop the National League Central at the beginning of the day.
A large part of their success has come from 2011 NL MVP and five-time All-Star Ryan Braun. After only recording three hits through his first five games of the season, the former ‘Tee exploded for three home runs and seven RBI in the Brewers series opener in Philadelphia on Tuesday:
Braun continued his hot hitting last night with a two-run triple in Milwaukee’s 9-4 victory over the Phillies.
Former Brevard Brew Crew members have also been stellar on the bump. Fellow 2006 ‘Tee Yovani Gallardo has been nothing short of spectacular to start the season.
The Brewers ace has won his first two starts, throwing a combined 12.2 shutout innings. The former Florida State League All-Star threw 6.2 scoreless innings against Boston at Fenway Park on Sunday to help complete the Brewers sweep over the reigning World Series champions:
Thanks for checking out the Brevard County Manatees official blog. The ‘Tees will go for a sweep of their own tonight as they play the third and final game of their series against the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Be sure to tune in to the broadcast locally on AM 1300 WMEL with the first pitch at Joker Marchant Stadium scheduled for 6:30. Listen to the live broadcast HERE.
(Former) ‘Tees Tidbits: Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain (’08) is off to a hot start…The former Brewers prospect is currently hitting .320 with 3 RBI in his first seven games…Cain has picked up at least one base-hit in six of those seven games…Indians closer John Axford (’09) is currently tied with Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel for the Major League lead in saves with four…First baseman Nick Ramirez (’13) continues his rise through the Brewers system with a great start at Double-A Huntsville…A Florida State League All-Star a year ago, Ramirez is currently sixth in the Southern League in batting average (.364) and tied for fourth in RBI (five).
Bullpen Magic
Right-hander Jacob Barnes threw 2.1 scoreless innings of relief in Friday’s extra-inning win over Daytona.
Despite a rocky performance on Saturday night, the Manatees bullpen has gotten off to a strong start so far in 2014.
After Tyler Wagner sparkled through the first five innings of the season opener on Thursday, the bullpen was stellar in shutting the door on the Cubs.
Right-hander Martin Viramontes and returning left-hander Stephen Peterson combined to allow just three base runners (two hits, one walk) in the sixth through eighth innings.
Tommy Toledo, who led the Manatees with 20 saves in 2013, picked up his first save of the season. The right-hander threw just 13 pitches to close out the 1-0 victory against Daytona.
A night later, the bullpen was arguably even stronger over the game’s final 4.1 innings in the team’s first road game at Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
After leading the team in wins and earned run average a year ago as a starter, right-hander Jacob Barnes faced the minimum amount of hitters over 2.1 innings of relief.
Left-hander Mike Strong, who struck out 98 batters over 87 innings in Class-A Wisconsin a year ago, retired the heart of the Cubs lineup in order, including a strike out of power-hitting left fielder Rock Shoulders.
Despite allowing three hits in the bottom of the tenth, Tanner Poppe got the job done for the ‘Tees as well and picked up his first save of the year.
With the tying run at second and the winning run at first, Poppe got Daytona’s center fielder Albert Almora to hit a weak grounder back to the mound to end the threat and give Brevard County their second straight win to start the season.
Over the opening two games of the Manatees season, six different relievers combined to allow just five hits and strike out six batters over 8.1 scoreless innings pitched.
Friday night’s starter Damien Magnifico had nothing but praise for the team’s relievers through the first two games.
“Our bullpen’s great,” said Magnifico. “As a starter, you know they’re going be behind and clean things up when you get into a mess. Having that comfort is everything.”
The Manatees finish their four game set with the Daytona Cubs tonight at the Jack. Be sure to tune into the broadcast with the pregame show slated to begin at 6:30 and first pitch scheduled for 7:05. Listen to the live broadcast HERE.
‘Tees Tidbits: Manatees infielder Orlando Arcia is off to a hot start to the 2014 campaign…Despite being the youngest player in the FSL, Arcia has picked up a base-hit in each of the first three games and currently leads the ‘Tees in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBI, and extra-base hits…Strikeouts have been a problem for both Brevard County and Daytona through the first three games of the series…The two clubs have combined to strike out 41 times compared to just 19 walks over the season’s first 28 innings.
Brevard County Manatees 