SOUTHERN LEAGUE UMPS GET A TASTE OF THE BIG SHOW

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2 SOUTHERN LEAGUE UMPS GET A TASTE OF THE BIG SHOW Normally, baseball fans avoid showing any positive feelings toward umpires. After all, the men in blue are the bane of the game, a surefire scapegoat when the breaks don t go the right way. But on July 12, at least 35 of the 36,311 in attendance at the XM All-Star Futures Game in St. Louis were there to root on Southern League umpires Matt Schaufert and Chris Ward. While the remaining patrons were there to watch the most promising minor league prospects in action, Home plate umpire Matt Schaufert gets a cameo on Busch Stadium s video board. the families and friends of Schaufert and Ward came to witness the greatest accomplishment of each of their young umpiring careers. It s probably the highest honor you can get as a minor league umpire, Ward said. Until I m assigned to the fall leagues as a Triple-A umpire, this will be number one. The experience was also special for Schaufert, both on a professional and personal level. A lifetime resident of St. Louis, Schaufert had over two dozen friends and family members at the game. I hadn t seen some of my friends and family since the season started, so the biggest highlight of the weekend was them being there, Schaufert said. While the game started on time without a hitch, rain showers stopped play halfway through the first inning. The crew was told beforehand that play would likely be stopped for rain at some point, but no one would have ever predicted a delay over four hours. It was definitely the longest rain delay I ve ever sat through, Ward said. I was just hoping and praying we were going to get back on the field. Finally Ward s prayers were answered, and play resumed four hours and nine minutes later. The World team defeated the U.S. team 7-5 in seven innings, but the in-game action isn t what Schaufert will remember. One thing that stood out in my mind was the TV people, Schaufert said. That was pretty odd and really Photo courtesy Christy Rawls 1 Southern Bases, Vol. XV, Issue 6

3 kind of distracting because you re not in the normal flow of the game when you have to wait for them to get back from commercial. Schaufert noted that television crews don t frequent Southern League games. But then again, neither do hall of famers. I met Reggie Jackson, Schaufert said. When we took the field, he was walking off, so I got to say hello and shake his hand, which was pretty nice. Schaufert also got to meet former Cardinals Ozzie Smith and Jose Oquendo, who served as the managers for the game. While his profession precludes him from rooting for his home team these days, he admired both players long before becoming an umpire. It was a thrill to meet Ozzie and Jose, Schaufert said. They were both big parts of the Cardinals teams when I was growing up and it was definitely exciting to meet those guys. But perhaps the biggest thrill for Schaufert was receiving his Futures Game gear in the mail a few weeks before the actual game. It s like umpire Christmas when you get that package, Schaufert said. It makes you feel really good to get those big league uniforms. You may only get to wear them once, but some people never get them. Not only did Schaufert and Ward get to don major league umpire uniforms, they also got the major league umpire treatment. Mark Walsh (Cardinals clubhouse manager) and Cathy Davis (Specialist, Umpire Administration, MLB) really took care of us during the week, Ward said. They really did a great job with it. (Busch Stadium) was bigger and better than minor league parks in every way, Schaufert said. They considered the umpires when they built the park they had everything we could ever want. Hopefully, both Schaufert and Ward will get a chance to work at Busch Stadium as major league umpires in the future. If not, they ll always have the memories of the 2009 Futures Game. They ll remember the fourhour rain delay, the national TV audience and the 35 people in the crowd watching them. But most of all, they will remember that for one weekend, they were big league umpires. And that s more than most umpires can say. Photo courtesy Christy Rawls The 2009 Futures Game umpire crew (L-R): Chris Ward, Shaun Francis, Matt Schaufert and Mike Jarboe. southernleague.com 2

4 Birmingham Barons Barons Bits The Barons completed a five-game sweep of the Biscuits with a 4-1 win in the series-finale on July 25. It marks the first time in franchise history that the Barons have swept the Biscuits in a five-game series.... All-Star OF Stefan Gartrell hit safely in a team-and season-best 12 straight games from July During that span, he hit.341 (14-for-41) with two homers and nine RBI. Also the Southern League leader in RBI, Gartrell hit safely in 21 of 22 games dating back to June 25. He hit at a.378 (31-for-82) clip during that stretch.... Entering a July 27 contest with Jacksonville, Birmingham had not surrendered a home run since July 5, a string of 143 innings. Marlins top prospects Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison snapped the streak in style, blasting back-to-back homers in the first inning.... With 17.2 consecutive scoreless innings, All-Star RHP Clevelan Santeliz has dropped his ERA below He owns a 3-0 record and 0.92 ERA and has allowed just four earned runs in SOUTHDIVISION Jacksonville Suns Suns Block 2B Kevin Randel hit a two-run walk-off homer off of Smokies reliever Brian Schlitter to give the Suns a 5-4 victory over the Tennessee Smokies in front of 7,571 fans at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on July 17. Randel drove in six runs in a six-game span from July He nearly drove in six runs in a single game almost a week later, torching Birmingham pitching for three hits and six RBI.... All-Star RHP Matt Peterson increased his Southern League saves lead by saving both games of a doubleheader against West Tenn on July 22. Peterson needed just 20 pitches to retire six batters on the day. In all, Peterson saved four games during the week to earn Pitcher of the Week honors.... The Suns tied a Southern League record for best winning percentage against one club in a single season by completing a 10-game season sweep of West Tenn with a 7-5 win on July 25. Jacksonville also swept Huntsville in a 10-game season series in Mobile BayBears Mobile Alerts All-Star SS Pedro Ciriaco experienced a two-game power surge against the Lookouts, driving in seven combined runs on July 21 and 22. On July 21, Ciriaco was 3-for-4 with five RBI in a 6-4 Mobile victory. He followed that performance with two RBI the following day to push his season total to All-Star OF Cyle Hankerd has cooled off considerably since June 11, when he was among the league leaders with a.352 average. In the 37 games since, Hankerd has batted just.185 (25-135) to drop his season average to.281. Hankerd still ranks fourth on the team in hitting and leads the BayBears with 52 RBI.... Mobile has nearly identical home (26-24) and away (26-25) records this season. Only the Barons, Stars and Suns have more road wins than Mobile.... All-Star RHP Matt Torra leads the circuit with innings pitched. He headlines a staff that has issued the least amount of walks (296) in the league. Mississippi Braves Pearls of Wisdom On Independence Day at Trustmark Park, 7,036 fans watched the M-Braves defeat the Jacksonville Suns, 8-6. The largest crowd of 2009 saw RF Jason Heyward, 1B Freddie Freeman and a new-look M- Braves offense outlast the Suns. Heyward and Freeman were a hit in their AA debut as the two combined to go 3-6 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored. Heyward, ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the organization by Baseball America, is hitting.400 with 10 RBI in 16 games with Mississippi. Freeman, rated the fourth-best prospect in the system, is hitting.295 with 16 RBI in 17 games with the M-Braves.... On July 5, INF Kody Kirkland pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a 14-3 loss to the Suns, marking the ninth different position he has played this season. The only position Kirkland hasn t played is catcher.... The M-Braves rank last in the league in home runs with 39, an average of just one homer every 2.61 games. 2B Travis Jones and OF Willie Cabrera share the team lead with five. Montgomery Biscuits Biscuits Bites In consecutive starts on July 17 and July 23, RHP Aneury Rodriguez took a nohitter into the sixth inning. On July 17, he allowed two unearned runs on just one hit in 5.2 innings against West Tenn to earn his fifth victory of the season. Six days later, Rodriguez shutout the potent Barons lineup through seven innings, earning a no-decision in a 1-0 loss.... 3B Chris Nowak, the 2007 Southern League Championship Series MVP, has played exceedingly well for the Biscuits since joining the team from Triple-A Durham on July 5. Nowak is hitting.333 with 16 RBI in 15 games, including a 2-for-3, 5-RBI performance on July All-Star OF Desmond Jennings dazzled at the XM All-Star Futures Game in St. Louis on July 12, stealing three bases including third base twice and scoring a run. He leads all current Southern Leaguers with a.323 average. He also paces the circuit with 37 stolen bases, 120 hits, 68 runs and eight triples. 3 Southern Bases, Vol. XV, Issue 6

5 Carolina Mudcats Caro-liners OF All-Star OF Todd Frazier, who participated in the 2009 Home Run Derby, blasted a solo home run that proved to be the game-winner in a 4-3 win over Huntsville on July 21. The homer marked Frazier s sixth in an 81-at-bat span dating back to June 24. He has 11 homers on the season, XX-most in the league.... All-Star LHP Travis Wood set a franchise record by winning his ninth consecutive decision on July 19. Wood tossed seven shutout innings, striking out eight and walking none. He also singled in a run to notch his fourth RBI of the season. He drove in three runs against Mississippi on April OF Stephen Chapman s pinch-hit two-run homer was all Carolina needed in a 2-1 victory in Game 2 of a July 18 twin bill against the Lookouts.... The Mudcats fell to Tennessee 7-4 in front of an Independence Day crowd of 8,596, the fourth-largest crowd in Five County Stadium history. NORTHDIVISION Chattanooga Lookouts Chattanooga Chatter All-Star 3B Josh Bell has been the catalyst for Chattanooga s push toward the second half North Division title. A week after winning the MVP Award at the Southern League All-Star Game, Bell was named Hitter of the Week for July In six games, Bell hit.571 and drove in 10 runs. In 13 games since the all-star break, Bell has raised his average 22 points to an even.300, has seven multi-hit games and has knocked in 13 runs.... RHP Jesus Castillo continues to excel away from home, posting a 3-0 record and 2.48 ERA in 11 road starts. At home, Castillo is 3-7 and owns an 8.04 ERA.... OF Andrew Lambo and OF James Tomlin, both Southern League All-Stars, rank third in doubles (28) and on-base percentage (.405), respectively. Tomlin also ranks second among current Southern Leaguers with a.315 average.... RHP Kendy Batista has sparkled since his June 1 debut with the Lookouts, posting a 5-0 record and 1.75 ERA. He has allowed just 23 hits through 36.0 innings. Tennessee Smokies Smoke Signals History was made at Smokies Park on July 25, as the 5,274 fans in attendance Saturday night were the final piece of a record-setting homestand for the Tennessee Smokies. The team's series finale with the Mississippi Braves capped a five-game attendance of 25,234 fans that shattered the previous five-game record by almost 3,000 fans.... A wild pitch brought home 3B Ty Wright to cap a wild end to the opener of a five-game set on July 21 and give the Tennessee Smokies a 3-2 win in 10 innings over Mississippi. RHP Andrew Cashner was stellar in his six-inning outing, limiting the M-Braves to one hit. He struck out five and did not walk a batter, but did not factor in the decision.... After recording his league-leading ninth victory on July 5, All-Star RHP Casey Coleman dropped two consecutive decisions and has allowed 17 hits and 15 runs in his last 12.1 innings pitched. Huntsville Stars Dancing with the Stars All-Star OF Drew Anderson picked up right where he left off after returning from Triple-A Nashville on July 6, raising his average 19 points in the last 17 games. With a 3-for-4, one-rbi performance against Carolina on July 23, Anderson extended his consecutive games with an RBI streak to seven, and dating back to July 8, had driven in a run in 11 of his last 12 games.... In addition to allstars 2B Shane Justis, C Jonathan Lucroy, OF Adam Stern and Anderson, the Stars have two players who have driven in more than 40 runs: utility men Kevin Melillo ( ) and Vinny Rottino ( ). 3B Taylor Green has also been a major contributor since his arrival on May 21, hitting.284 with five homers and 33 RBI in 50 games.... LHP Sam Narron earned his first Double- A victory of 2009 on July 22 against Carolina with 7.2 innings of five-hit ball, running his career minor league record to an impressive Narron has since been recalled to Triple-A Nashville. West Tenn Diamond Jaxx Jaxx Facts The Diamond Jaxx recorded a seasonhigh eight-game winning streak from July 2-9 and raced out to a 4.5 game division lead just 18 games into the second half. Since its 13-5 start, West Tenn 3-11 and currently sits one game back of Chattanooga in the North Division standings.... With one of the more impressive weeks in recent memory, OF Greg Halman was a big reason for West Tenn s resurgence. From June 29-July 5, Halman blasted six home runs, including back-to-back two-homer games. Halman, who leads the league with 21 homers, was named Southern League Hitter of the Week for his efforts.... RHP Nick Hill (3-3, 2.45) impressed in his first start of the season on July 19, yielding just two hits in six scoreless innings to notch his third victory of the season. Hill, who appeared in 27 games as a reliever before his first start, delivered another quality start six days later, limiting Jacksonville to one run and three hits through six innings but did not factor in the decision. southernleague.com 4

6 SOUTHERN LEAGUE WEEKLY AWARDS Week of July 6-12 C.J. Retherford, 2B, Birmingham Barons HITTER OF THE WEEK With five extra-base hits and a league-best nine RBI, Birmingham's C.J. Retherford became the first position player to win multiple hitter of the week awards in Retherford, a unanimous selection to the South Division All-Star Team, was also hitter of the week from May The Chandler, Ariz. native hit safely in five of six games, posting a.368 average (7-19). He also collected three multi-rbi games, including a 3-for-4 effort with two homers and three RBI in a 4-3 win over Mississippi on May 11. Retherford led the league with an.842 slugging percentage and currently ranks fourth in the league with 60 RBI. In his two award-winning weeks, he has four homers and 20 RBI. 7/6-7/12 *Season AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB OBP SLG Matthew Klinker, RHP, Carolina Mudcats PITCHER OF THE WEEK 7/6-7/12 *Season Klinker was phenomenal for the Mudcats, pitching 12 scoreless innings in two dominant victories. The Peru, Ind. native was called up from High-A Sarasota on July 3 to take the place of injured all-star pitcher Jordan Smith, and the Mudcats have not experienced a drop-off in productivity. Against Tennessee on July 6, Klinker struck out seven, walked one and gave up only three hits in six innings to lead Carolina to an 8-1 victory. On July 11 at Jacksonville, Klinker was even more impressive, yielding just one hit while striking out eight in six innings of work. In his two starts, Klinker allowed just four hits and struck out 15 batters. In his first 18 Double-A innings, he allowed only seven hits and struck out 20 batters. W-L SV ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR *stats as of 7/29 5 Southern Bases, Vol. XV, Issue 6

7 SOUTHERN LEAGUE WEEKLY AWARDS Week of July Desmond Jennings, CF, Montgomery Biscuits HITTER OF THE WEEK 7/13-7/19 *Season Jennings showed no signs of rust after a three-day break from Southern League action, recording four consecutive multi-hit games following the all-star break. In all, the dynamic center fielder batted 10- for-16 to raise his average to.328, a 10-point increase in just five games. The Birmingham, Ala. native led the league in hitting by over 200 points for the week, and also paced the circuit in stolen bases (4), hits (10), doubles (3), on-base percentage (.750), slugging percentage (1.000), extra-base hits (4) and runs (8). Jennings electrified the crowd at the XM All-Star Futures Game in St. Louis on July 12, stealing three bases and scoring a run for the U.S. squad. For the season, he leads all current Southern Leaguers in batting, steals, hits and runs. AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB OBP SLG John Ely, RHP, Birmingham Barons PITCHER OF THE WEEK 7/13-7/19 *Season Ely outdueled fellow South Division all-star Matt Torra on July 17, limiting the BayBears to just one hit in six strong innings in a 3-1 Barons victory. He retired the first 13 batters of the game until Mobile's Chris Rahl reached on a throwing error with one out in the fifth. Rahl scored with the help of another error and a groundout but Ely escaped with no further damage and no-hitter intact. However, with two outs in the sixth, Pedro Ciriaco broke up Ely's no-hit bid with a single to second base. In all, Ely pitched six innings, struck out three batters, and allowed one unearned run, one hit and walked one batter. The win improved Ely's record to 8-1 on the season and marked his fourth consecutive victory. W-L SV ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR *stats as of 7/29 southernleague.com 6

8 SOUTHERN LEAGUE WEEKLY AWARDS Week of July Josh Bell, 3B, Chattanooga Lookouts HITTER OF THE WEEK 7/20-7/26 *Season Bell followed his MVP performance at the Southern League All-Star Game with a week to remember, leading the circuit in batting (.571), home runs (2), RBI (10), hits (12), on-base percentage (.654), slugging percentage (1.048) and extra-base hits (6). Bell capped the week with a 2-for-4, 5-RBI effort in a 12-3 rout of Mobile on July 25. He finished the week riding a three-game RBI streak and with seven hits and two homers in his last three games. Bell is batting.436 (17-39) with three homers and 13 RBI in 11 games since the all-star break and currently leads the Lookouts in home runs and RBI. The Lantana, Fla. native entered the season rated as the Dodgers' No. 8 prospect according to Baseball America. AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB OBP SLG Matt Peterson, RHP, Jacksonville Suns PITCHER OF THE WEEK 7/20-7/26 *Season Peterson had the most productive week of the season by a Southern League reliever, recording four dominant saves to increase his leagueleading total to 24. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Peterson earned saves in each of his four appearances last week, giving him five saves since the all-star break. The Alexandria, La. native faced just one batter over the minimum, throwing only 44 pitches in the process. He did not allow a hit last week and now has not surrendered a base hit in his last five appearances. On July 22, Peterson saved both games of a doubleheader sweep against West Tenn. Jacksonville swept the fivegame series against the Diamond Jaxx and currently holds a three game edge over Birmingham in the South. W-L SV ERA IP H R ER BB SO HR *stats as of 7/29 7 southernleague.com Southern Bases, Vol. XV, Issue 6

9 SL NORTH ALL-STAR PITCHERS BLANK SOUTH 7-0 Chattanooga s Bell named MVP for swinging big bat in 7-0 win. By Josh Rutledge / Special to MLB.com July 14, 2009 Dominant pitching propelled the North Division to a 7-0 shutout of the South on Monday night at the Southern League All- Star Game at Regions Park in Birmingham, Ala. Ten different North pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout, while Chattanooga Lookouts teammates Josh Bell and Andrew Lambo provided more than enough offense to ensure the victory. Following a 2-for-4 night at the plate with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored, Bell was named the game's Most Valuable Player. "The atmosphere was great out here and so were the fans," Bell said. "It's a great feeling to go out and get the MVP. I had some knee trouble last year, so to be back out here playing well is a great feeling." All-Star Game MVP Josh Bell of Chattanooga mans the hot corner for the North Division. Photo courtesy Tony Farlow Carolina Mudcats pitcher Travis Wood, who leads the Southern League in wins (eight) and ERA (1.36), got things started for the North with a quick first inning, and the rest of the pitching staff followed his lead. No South Division player passed second base during the game. "It was a great experience coming here," Wood said. "We just came out and played a good baseball game. All our pitchers went out there, knew what they had to do and got it done." Offensively, the North got on the scoreboard early. In the second inning, West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx first baseman Marshall Hubbard walked with one out. Huntsville Stars second baseman Shane Justis grounded into a fielder's choice, but after another walk to Stars outfielder Drew Anderson, Huntsville catcher Jonathan Lucroy singled to right, plating Justis. In the third inning, the North added to the lead. Facing Montgomery Biscuits pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, Huntsville center fielder Adam Stern tripled to lead off the inning. Blake Lalli of the Tennessee Smokies followed with a fly ball to deep center field, and Stern tagged up on the play to increase the North's lead to 2-0. southernleague.com 8

10 After teammate Andrew Lambo doubled to right field, Josh Bell hit the game's only home run, a blast over the right-field wall. Following a walk to Marshall Hubbard of the Diamond Jaxx, Hellickson was replaced by Birmingham Barons pitcher Clevelan Santeliz, who retired the next two batters to end the inning. The rest of the offense for the North came in the fifth inning. Following back-to-back singles by Lambo and Bell, Hubbard singled to right field, scoring Lambo from second base. During the play, Bell advanced to third on an error and later scored on a single by Justis. Hubbard scored the game's final run one batter later on Smokies right fielder Jim Adduci's single to center field. The closest the South came to scoring was in the bottom of the sixth. Facing Stars pitcher Casey Baron, Mobile BayBears shortstop Pedro Ciriaco hit a sharp grounder to third, but Bell made a diving stop and quickly threw to first for the out. Mississippi Braves center fielder Matt Young singled to right field in the next at-bat and was followed by the Barons' C.J. Retherford, who blooped a shallow single down the right-field line. Young was thrown out at second base on a sharp throw by Justis. "We hit a lot of balls hard all game, but we just couldn't find any holes," Birmingham right fielder Stefan Gartrell said. "Sometimes that's just how it goes. That's baseball. They get the credit, though. They came out here and played their butts off. Their pitchers came after us, and their guys were able to find some holes." In the bottom of the ninth, Tennessee pitcher Brian Schlitter and West Tennessee pitcher Anthony Varvaro were called on to secure the shutout for the North. Photo courtesy Tony Farlow Lookouts shortstop Justin Sellers has some fun with BirdZerk! between innings. Schlitter got two quick outs, and to ensure each pitcher got a chance to play in the game, North Division manager Phil Plantier called on Varvaro to record the final out against Mobile BayBears outfielder Chris Rahl. Varvaro induced a pop fly to right field to end the game. "The South has been able to put up runs all year, so it's a great feeling to come out here and play with this group of guys and get the shutout," Huntsville pitcher Donovan Hand said, "It's one of the most enjoyable times I've had in baseball." 9 Southern Bases, Vol. XV, Issue 6

11 SOUTHERN LEAGUE STANDINGS **As of July 29** NORTH 2nd HALF W L PCT GB Chattanooga West Tenn Huntsville Tennessee Carolina SOUTH 2nd HALF W L PCT GB Jacksonville Birmingham Mississippi Mobile Montgomery st HALF RESULTS NORTH W L PCT GB Huntsville Carolina Tennessee Chattanooga West Tenn SOUTH W L PCT GB Birmingham Mobile Jacksonville Montgomery Mississippi PITCHING TEAM STATISTICS W-L ERA H SHO SV BB SO AVG R H HR BB SB Birmingham Carolina Chattanooga Huntsville Jacksonville Mississippi Mobile Montgomery Tennessee West Tenn BOLD ITALICS indicate league leader BATTING southernleague.com 10

12 FEATURED STATLINE 14 IP, 2 H Carolina limited the Jacksonville Suns to just two hits in a July 11 doubleheader. The Mudcats took the opener 2-0 behind six strong innings from Matthew Klinker, whose only mistake was a second-inning single by Kevin Randel. In the nightcap, Jacksonville again mustered just one hit but scored an improbable 1-0 victory. Strangely enough, the Suns didn t need that hit to score the game s only run. Chris Hatcher led off the third inning and struck out, but reached first on a wild pitch. Brad Stone bunted Hatcher to second, and after Lorenzo Scott went down on strikes, Chris De La Cruz reached on Carson Kainer s fielding error, which scored Hatcher from second. BY THE NUMBERS 10 Jacksonville swept its 10-game season series with West Tenn, tying a Southern League record for best record against one club in a single season. The Suns also went 10-0 against Huntsville in Birmingham did not allow a home run for 143 consecutive innings, spanning from July Marlins top prospects Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison hit back-to-back homers off of Charlie Shirek to end the streak. Baseball America annointed Mississippi OF Jason Heyward as the best prospect in all of Minor League Baseball in its midseason prospect update......and Suns OF Mike Stanton was named the second-best prospect in the minors. Five other Southern Leaguers Suns 1B Logan Morrison (10), Braves 1B Freddie Freeman (11), BayBears RHP Jarrod Parker (12), Mudcats 1B Yonder Alonso (15) and Biscuits OF Desmond Jennings (18) were also voted in the top 25. Check out the Southern League s official souvenir store online to purchase the 2009 Southern League Media Guide, which features budding MLB stars Clayton Kershaw, Evan Longoria, Cameron Maybin and David Price on the cover. Also available are Southern League New Era caps, Southern League polo shirts and official Southern League baseballs. Visit the Southern League souvenir stand today! Writer, Managing Editor and Graphic Designer Nate Beardsley Editor Lori Webb Copyright 2009, The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction southernleague.com of Southern Bases, in whole or part without the expressed written consent of the Southern 2 League of Professional Baseball Clubs, Inc., is strictly prohibited.