If David Pauley Had A Vote . . .
Major league baseball begins doling out its postseason honors on Tuesday when the American League Gold Glove recipients are announced, and the various award winners are named every few days until November 23rd.
The most interesting – and controversial – category this year is likely to be the American League’s Cy Young Award.
As recently as two or three years ago, the winner almost certainly would have been either New York’s C.C. Sabathia (21-7, 3.18 ERA) or Tampa Bay’s David Price (19-6, 2.72 ERA). Jon Lester (19-9, 3.25 ERA) and Clay Buchholz (17-7, 2.33) would have ranked high in the “close but no cigar” category.
But as advanced statistics have become more mainstream, many voters are downplaying a pitcher’s win total and placing more emphasis on data that better demonstrates individual performance. Those voters seem likely to support Seattle’s Felix Hernandez who had a mediocre 13-12 record, but led the AL in ERA (2.27), innings pitched, opponent’s batting average, and quality starts, and ranked second in strikeouts and WHIP.
Former PawSox pitcher David Pauley doesn’t have a vote, but if he did, it would go to his Mariners teammate.
“If he doesn’t win the Cy Young it will be shocking,” Pauley told me. “If there’s anybody that deserves it, it’s him. There was not a day where he had bad stuff. He’s got incredible command of a 95-96 mile an hour fastball, with crazy breaking stuff. He’s so mature for his age and knows so much about the game already – to see what happens over the next 15 to 20 years is going to be something amazing.”
This season was Pauley’s first in the Seattle organization and it was his most successful big league campaign to date. After getting promoted from Triple-A Tacoma on June 27th, Pauley posted a respectable 4.07 ERA in 19 games (15 starts).
“I feel like I was able to open some eyes,” Pauley said. “I threw the ball pretty well and hopefully they like me and will continue to give me opportunities next year. I’ve figured a few things out, I’ve gotten some confidence, and it’s been big. I was able to use all of my pitches for strikes and something just clicked this year.”
The fact that David did not spend the entire year in the minors indicates that the Mariners look beyond wins and losses when evaluating their pitchers.
“When I got called up, I was 1-6 with about a 3.60 ERA (actual = 3.68),” Pauley said. “You hope that the major league team isn’t going by your won/loss record, but it’s always in the back of your mind. That was hard to look at and still believe I would have an opportunity to go up.”
One of the highlights of the season for David was his strong showing against his former team. In three starts against the Red Sox, Pauley had a 3.12 ERA.
“I’ll admit that I got up a little bit more for those games,” Pauley said with a laugh. “It’s like showing them, ‘Hey, I’m still here.’ I owe a lot to Boston. They gave me an opportunity to go to the big leagues. They taught me a lot about the game and how to be a major league baseball player. It gave me the confidence coming over here to know that I could pitch at that level.
(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
“It’s an unbelievable place to play. If you ask any professional baseball player, anybody would want to be part of that tradition and history. Getting to play with guys like Ortiz, Manny, Schilling, Wakefield … I got to play with some awesome people and got to be part of a great organization.”
But big league opportunities were limited in Boston. In Seattle, Pauley is getting a chance to establish himself with the young and rebuilding Mariners.
“It’s a great place to play – it really is,” Pauley said. “Last year (with Triple-A Norfolk) was a struggle, and I didn’t know if I was going to have a job this year. To be here and do what I’ve always wanted to do and have success at it – it’s been what I’ve been striving toward over the last 10 years.”
The front row seat to watch King Felix isn’t bad either.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
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Talking Shop With Ryan Kalish
Ryan Kalish admits to being an “impulse shopper.” He’s Ron Popeil’s dream customer because he’ll see something advertised on TV or displayed in a store window and desperately have to have it.
(photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
But even though the 22-year-old outfielder spent roughly two months in the big leagues this summer, earning approximately one-third of the $400,000 minimum MLB salary, he didn’t go crazy with his credit card.
“I got an iPad – which is more like a necessity nowadays – and I got some really good headphones,” Kalish told me. “They’re awesome, but they were a little bit ridiculous to buy. That’s really about it. I was pretty good about just hanging out and playing baseball.”
Kalish ranks as one of Boston’s biggest success stories in 2010. He spent two months at Double-A Portland and two months at Triple-A Pawtucket before making his major league debut on July 31st. After batting .294 (.382 OBP/.502 SLG) with 13 HR and 25 stolen bases at his two minor league stops, Ryan batted .252 (.305 OBP/.405 SLG) with 4 HR and 10 SB in 53 games with Boston.
“The atmosphere of playing at Fenway and playing with the guys who play here every day was an incredible experience,” Kalish said. “I hope it never ends.”
With Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron due back from injuries, there’s no guarantee that Kalish will even begin 2011 in Boston. But he’s likely to go to spring training in the mix for a major league roster spot, and possibly a starting position in the outfield.
“I don’t like to look ahead and put too many expectations on myself,” Kalish said. “Obviously, I got a pretty good taste of what it’s like to be here and that’s always a plus. I don’t really know what I expect for next year. I’m just going to go into the off-season, work hard, and get better – and get ready to help this team if they call on me to help them win. That’s what I plan on doing.
“I’m going to spend two months at home and around December I’m going to head to Arizona to workout at API (Athletes’ Performance, Inc). Then I’ll come home for the holidays and go back out there after the New Year. I had a really good experience out there last year, so I’m definitely going to go back.”
Since Ryan mentioned that he would be spending time at home in New Jersey, I wondered about the status of one of his early-season impulse buys. As I described in a previous blog entry (read it here), Kalish purchased a violin at a music store in Portland with the intention of learning how to play this off-season.
Now that he’s a big leaguer, does Ryan still plan to take up the violin?
“I think so,” Kalish said. “I’m going to have a good 2 ˝ months at home and I know that I’m going to get really bored, so yea, I do think so. It’s sitting there in my room, so if I feel like it I’ll go for it. It was probably a worthless buy, but who knows?”
I guess we’ll find out in Ft. Myers.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
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The Year of Chad Paronto
2010 will be remembered as the year of “Guest Appearances” at McCoy Stadium. The list of major league stars who had rehab stints with Pawtucket included Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, Mike Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Mike Lowell, Dustin Pedroia, Hideki Okajima, and Jason Varitek.
But now that I’ve had a month to reflect on last season, do you know who stands out?
Chad Paronto.
(photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
On this year’s final episode of “Talkin’ PawSox” on Cox Sports, my colleague Melanie Pellowski quizzed several members of the team on a wide variety of superlatives and Paronto was named “Best Dancer,” “Funniest,” and “Best Teammate.” (watch the segment here)
“It is an honor coming from your teammates, but I’m actually quite shocked that I only won those three because I think there were about 10 categories,” Paronto told me with a straight face. “Maybe next year I can win 10 out of 10.”
That is vintage Chad Paronto.
Paronto is one of the funniest people that I’ve ever met and reminds me of the characters that Will Ferrell often plays. He’s completely unafraid to make a buffoon of himself and you never quite know what he’s going to do next (here’s Chad as Hulk Hogan). We capitalized on his sense of humor on our radio broadcasts with a weekly “Hangin’ With Chad” segment that featured Paronto interviewing his teammates (you can listen to them here).
“One of the most unbelievable guys that I’ve ever been around,” Ryan Kalish said. “He is so funny off the field – and shoot, sometimes on the field – but he really helped me progress as a player by teaching me balance. We play a game every day and you have to joke around sometimes. He’s really good at doing that.”
“Chad and I go way back,” said Darnell McDonald. “We came up together in Baltimore and the guy hasn’t changed one bit. He’s a great teammate who keeps the clubhouse loose and he keeps you on edge because you never know what Chad is going to do. I’ve loved playing with him throughout the years.”
But Paronto isn’t only the Class Clown – he’s an outstanding pitcher. This season wasn’t one of his best statistically, but the 6’5″, 255-pound right-hander led the PawSox with 54 appearances and finished 3-5 with 2 saves and a 4.22 ERA.
“He’s an intimidating figure on the mound,” said Daniel Nava. “He’s a guy that you would never charge on the mound unless you had a bazooka in your hands and he had a blindfold on.”
Everybody on the team probably had a favorite Chad Paronto story, including manager Torey Lovullo.
“I would say the day that he made everybody on the bus wait and then walked on carrying a ‘Meowy Christmas’ sweatshirt,” Lovullo said. “I got a kick out of that because my son was on the bus and he said, ‘That guy is weird man. What’s going on?’ I had an internal laugh knowing exactly what Chad was doing.”
Paronto purchased the sweatshirt late in the season and awarded it to the star of the game after PawSox victories. Perhaps it was no coincidence that shortly after the ritual began, Pawtucket put together a season-long 8-game winning streak in late August.
“It’s 100% cotton, pre-shrunk,” Paronto bragged. “We stopped at a rest area or truck stop one day and since Rich Hill has three cats – I’ve said a million times I don’t know why anybody would want to have three cats but he does – I thought this would be great. Whoever was the MVP of a game that we won got the sweatshirt and had to sign the back of it.”
The thing that consistently cracked me up about Chad was his over-the-top love of all things New England – such as Dunkin Donuts and Larry Bird. Near the end of the year I asked the New Hampshire native how much Dunkin Donuts coffee he had consumed during the season.
“Anywhere between 20 and 45 gallons, I’d have to say,” Paronto said. “There are about 75 of them between my apartment and the ballpark and I think I’ve been to every one of them. It is something special. I love Dunkin Donuts – it’s my favorite restaurant.”
As for a certain Celtics legend . . .
“The greatest sports hero in any of the four major sports is Larry Bird,” Paronto said. “He’s the greatest basketball player, by far, and if he were to play football he might be a step ahead of Tom Brady. If he played hockey, he would probably be a tiny bit better than Bobby Orr. If he played baseball, probably Babe Ruth would come to mind if you asked me.”
That’s high praise, but one Pawtucket teammate had similar comments about Chad Paronto.
“You mean the man, the myth, the legend?” Daniel Nava said. ‘He’s 6’5″ with the brains of Einstein and the steel of Iron Man. If you pick up a dictionary, most of the words that are used to describe greatness are synonymous with Chad Paronto.”
He couldn’t have said it any better himself.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at
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Chatting With Breslow
Although the Pawtucket Red Sox have only been in the International League for 38 years, their all-time roster includes the following:
Nine major league MVPs.
Seven Rookies of the Year.
Five Cy Young Award winners.
And the Smartest Athlete in Sports.
(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
The Sporting News named the “20 Smartest Athletes” in its September 27th issue (here’s the list) and chose former PawSox pitcher Craig Breslow for the top spot.
“It was flattering obviously, but I’m not sure that it’s true,” Breslow told me with a laugh. “There are some pretty smart guys on that list, but I’m definitely honored to be on the top of it.”
I had the opportunity to visit with the Yale grad recently while on vacation in Seattle. The Mariners hosted Oakland on the final weekend of the regular season and I paid him a surprise visit in the A’s clubhouse.
Breslow had an excellent season for the Athletics, going 4-4 with 5 saves and a 3.01 in 75 relief outings. Craig ranked 2nd in the American League in appearances for the second straight season and held opposing hitters to a .194 batting average.
After pitching in the Milwaukee, San Diego, Boston, Cleveland, and Minnesota organizations, it appears that Breslow has finally found a home in Oakland.
“I’d like to think so,” Breslow said. “I bounced around for a few years but I always felt that if I could get an extended opportunity somewhere, I could be successful in the big leagues and fortunately, it’s been here over the last two seasons.
“Knock on wood, I’ve been able to stay healthy and that’s definitely a key component in having success. The turnover rate in the bullpen is usually pretty great, so the fact that I’ve been able to go out there and throw for two or three days in a row, speaks to the benefit that I can bring to a bullpen.”
Despite a Red Sox-like rash of injuries, Oakland finished 81-81 this season. The Athletics led the AL with a 3.56 ERA and feature promising young (and affordable) starting pitchers like Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, and Dallas Braden.
“It’s a good place to pitch,” Breslow said. “We have loyal fans and I think it’s an exciting time to be part of this organization with the young core of pitchers that we have and also the position players that are starting to infiltrate the big league roster. I think over the next year or two years, we should be able to compete.”
On the same day that Craig was named the smartest athlete by The Sporting News, he was also selected as one of 10 finalists for major league baseball’s Hutch Award. The award is given every January to the major league player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of legendary baseball player and manager Fred Hutchinson who succumbed to cancer at age 45.
Breslow was 12 when his older sister Lesley was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She was successfully treated and has been in remission for nearly two decades, but the experience had a profound impact on Craig who went on to study molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale. He is currently devoted to trying to help children with cancer through his Strike 3 Foundation.
“The Strike 3 Foundation raises funding for pediatric cancer research,” Breslow said. “It’s about three years old now and in those three years, we’ve raised about a quarter of a million dollars. We’ve made tremendous strides in the past year. We’ve been featured on This Week in Baseball, we’ve been able to hold some fundraisers in the Bay Area and back in New York when we were there to play the Yankees, and our big fundraiser is coming up in November in Connecticut. We’re really excited about how we’ve grown and we’re excited to see what next year holds for us.”
The big gala in Stamford, CT takes place on November 13th and is scheduled to include several of Craig’s major league teammates and friends. Tickets are available here, and being named the smartest athlete in sports should help increase publicity.
If Craig needs to create a poster for the event, perhaps he can use the photo that The Sporting News used for its smartest athletes issue.
(photo courtesy of The Sporting News)
“They had me pose in a lab with beakers and flasks and a mysterious green potion that is being poured over a baseball,” Breslow said.
“Shouldn’t the smartest athlete in sports be able to identify the contents of that mysterious green potion?” I asked.
“I’m pretty sure it was water,” Craig answered with a grin.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at
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Thanks Ben
Every broadcaster that ever worked for Ben Mondor can probably tell the same story.
At some point before your first day behind the mic, the legendary owner of the PawSox asked you to come down to his office to discuss his expectations for the team’s radio announcers.
“Kid,” Ben said in a stern voice. “I’ve read about these major league radio men with their multi-year contracts. Well, that’s not how it works around here. Your contract isn’t multi-year or year-to-year. It’s not even month-to-month or game-to-game. Your deal is pitch-to-pitch because I’ll be listening to every word!”
Then he broke into a big grin.
* * * * *
I was on vacation in Vancouver on Monday with my wife Peg and our son Sam when I learned of Ben’s passing at the age of 85. I’ve spent the day thinking about what an incredible life he lived and how many lives he touched.
Mine included.
He is one of the kindest, funniest, and most generous people I have ever known.
* * * * *
Sam Hoard was born one month into my first year as a Pawtucket broadcaster in May of 2006. The following season when Peg brought him to his first baseball game, Ben insisted that they watch the game from the comfort of his luxury box next to the PawSox dugout.
Peg brought milk, Cheerios, and other appropriate snacks for a 1-year-old, but at some point while she was talking to Ben, Sam stuck his hand into the adult food and grabbed a shrimp.
Sure enough he loved it and tried to snatch another. Peg tried to gently tell Sam that the shrimp was not for him, but Ben wouldn’t have it.
“Hey, the kid is smart — who wants Cheerios when you can have shrimp,” Ben said with a belly laugh. “He can have as much shrimp as he wants!”
Sam turned four this year and has had the good fortune to watch several games from the owner’s luxury box over the last few years.
His friend Mr. Mondor always had a tray of shrimp waiting.
* * * * *
I suspect the delivery person in our neighborhood is under the mistaken impression that I’m the world’s most thoughtful husband.
For the past few years, Peg has received flowers on every appropriate occasion — Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, her birthday — you name it, the flowers have arrived like clockwork.
Only I had nothing to do with it.
Ben Mondor recognized that the spouses of his full-time employees faced a difficult burden because of the amount of time that we spend away from home, so he made a point over the years to always have the team send something thoughtful on holidays.
I told Peg today that I’m going to have to start jotting those dates down.
* * * * *
I’m really going to miss his stories.
Ben was one of world’s greatest storytellers and I loved to drop by his office and throw out names of some of the great players who have worn the Pawtucket uniform to get his off-the-cuff reaction.
Here are some classic Mondor Memories:
Wade Boggs: “A good friend . . . and a pain in the butt. He won five batting titles and people used to rave about his bat control. You know how he developed that? When he was with us and we had a homestand, he would walk in practically every morning and want to take batting practice. So I would take a kid working on the ground crew or somewhere else and I’d say, ‘Look Wade, this kid is not going to be able to throw strikes. They’re going to be high, low, inside, outside,’ and he would say, ‘That’s what I want.’ And he would do that for two or three hours a day. And when they were finished, they would go pick up the balls and do it again. That’s how he developed that great bat control – right here at McCoy against kids who couldn’t throw proper batting practice. He made a heck of a name for himself.”
Jim Rice:
“He’s the best. A great guy and he’s very misunderstood by the media because he’s a private guy. It’s an insult that they waited 15 years to put him into the Hall of Fame. This was the most feared hitter in baseball in the ’70′s. Look at his achievements – they’re unbelievable. Good God, he won the Triple Crown when he was here and it hasn’t been done since. Nobody’s even come close.”
Nomar Garciaparra:
“He was a great athlete. When the Red Sox promoted him from Trenton, Ed Kenney called me and said they wanted me to keep an eye on him because they were worried that they were bringing him up to Triple-A too fast. So we would just sit down and talk. I tell you one thing – he shot one of baseball’s theories to hell: Not swinging at the first pitch. He would always swing at the first pitch and hit about .347. He was a great fielder, he could turn the double play like nobody’s business and he didn’t toot his own horn.”
Roger Clemens:
“If you want to win a free beer from your buddies at the saloon, ask them this question, ‘What’s the only team that Roger Clemens pitched for where he finished with a losing record?’ It’s Pawtucket – he was 2-3. He was just a young kid out of the University of Texas and he was only with us for a couple of months. The guy could pitch. I used to watch in his later years and think half of it was intimidation. He threw so hard and was so good that they were never comfortable in the batters box.”
Manny Ramirez:
“Manny was my favorite ballplayer of all time. He spent a month with us on rehab and he loved it here. He lived like a king, didn’t have to worry about all of those major league rules, and he supplied us with a lifetime of stories in one month. I remember one game, it was about the fifth or sixth inning and I heard the manager say, ‘Where’s Ramirez?’ because there was nobody in left field. It seems that Manny had been talking to a clubhouse kid whose father had a barbershop on Newport Avenue. So he hopped in his car and went to get a haircut in the middle of a game – uniform and all. The manager went nuts, but we thought it was hysterical. Like him or don’t like him, he certainly entertained us.”
Daisuke Matsuzaka:
“I enjoy him tremendously contrary to our managers. You see, Daisuke has a habit of loading the bases or putting two men on and then striking out three men. That drives a manager crazy and I laugh my head off because I think it’s the most entertaining thing in baseball.”
Tim Wakefield:
“I wish he was my brother – that nice a guy. He was a really classy guy to have around. He set a good example for the other guys in the clubhouse and so forth. We were proud to have him here and I wish he would come back often.”
Jose Canseco:
“You mean The Jose Canseco? He was a big pain in the rump who thought he was the most important thing in the world. He came here and he was something like 1-for-31. And he asked for something every single day. Then he would go out in left field and it was an adventure. Sometimes he caught them, sometimes they hit him, sometimes they went over his head.”
Dustin Pedroia:
“I have a gripe with all of the so-called baseball experts because they don’t know any more than I do. When Pedroia was here they said, ‘He’ll never make it. He’s too short. Too plump. No arm, no speed, no range, can’t hit.’ After he left us, he won every award in the American League that could be had … Rookie of the Year … MVP. Did they know what they were talking about? I’m so glad he won all of those awards because he deserved it. Everything they said that he couldn’t do — he did. So what does that tell you about all of the experts.”
* * * * *
I read recently that there are 292 pitches in an average professional baseball game.
If I did the math right, my pitch-to-pitch contract with Ben Mondor lasted for approximately 210,240 pitches.
I hope he enjoyed them half as much as I did.
RIP Boss.
And thanks.
* * * * *
I’d love to hear from you. The address is dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
After MVP Season, Bell Looks For Big League Opportunity
As an injury-plagued season winds down in Boston, the Red Sox starting lineup typically includes at least a couple of players who spent part of this season in Pawtucket and could be back with the PawSox next year.
Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish, Yamaico Navarro, Josh Reddick, Lars Anderson, Felix Doubront, Michael Bowden, and Robert Coello are among the likely candidates to get some more minor league seasoning at McCoy Stadium next summer.
A total of 22 Pawtucket players (not including rehabbing players) were promoted to Boston this season, but unfortunately, the list did not include the guy who was named the PawSox MVP – Bubba Bell.
(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
Bell was Pawtucket’s most consistent offensive player in 2010, as he batted .293 with 6 HR, 49 RBI and 13 stolen bases. The 27-year-old outfielder finished 14th in the league in batting average, and 13th in OBP at .366.
“I had some times where I got pretty hot and other times where I cooled off a bit, but for the most part, I was pretty consistent the entire year and that was huge,” Bubba told me. “If I can take it to the next level, I think I’ll have an opportunity to stick somewhere and turn a pretty good career out of what I have left.”
A big key for Bell was simply staying healthy. After being plagued by leg injuries over the previous two seasons, Bubba spent part of last winter in Santa Barbara, CA at a high-tech training center named P3 – that’s short for Peak Performance Project. The list of A-list athletes who have trained there includes Milwaukee Brewers’ star Ryan Braun, NBA All-Star Deron Williams, and former Patriots standouts Ty Law and Troy Brown.
Bell hopes to spend even more time at P3 this winter than he did last year.
“It’s expensive but I strongly believe that it’s worth every single cent that I’ve paid – especially with the success that I had this year,” Bell said. “I just got a little taste of it last year and hopefully I’m able to go for another month this time and come into camp even stronger and faster. It’s definitely an investment – you have to think of it that way – and making the kind of money that some of us in the minors are making right now, it can be tough but it’s definitely worth it.
“In the past I’ve had some trouble staying healthy and this year I was more fortunate. I took the necessary steps to stay on the field and I was able to stay healthy for the most part and I think my numbers have shown it.”
Bubba’s off-season began by heading home to Texas for a little rest and relaxation.
“I’m going to go home for a couple of weeks at least – I want to do something to take my mind off of the season and unwind a little bit,” Bell told me on the final day of the season. “I haven’t seen my parents in what seems like forever, so I’m looking forward to seeing them. I’d really like to do something fun – whether it’s going to a beach or going down to Austin and floating down the river, I’d love to do something for a few days to help me unwind.
“Then it’s back to work. This is a big off-season for me – who knows what’s going to happen next year. So I just want to continue to work hard. Maybe I’ll play some winter ball depending on the opportunity and then in January I’ll go back to Santa Barbara to work out.”
The goal for 2011 is obvious – to get to the big leagues whether it’s in Boston or elsewhere.
“I’m not a free agent, but I am Rule 5 eligible and you never know what’s going to happen with that,” Bell said. “I just need to come in ready next year wherever I’m at and try to really make a mark and open some eyes.”
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at
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A Busy Off-Season Begins For Bates
Pawtucket’s season has only been finished for one week, but I’m putting Aaron Bates back to work. On Thursday night, I’ll be behind the mic for the University of Cincinnati’s football game at NC State (Aaron’s alma mater) and he’s agreed to be one of my spotters in the broadcast booth in Raleigh, NC.
It is the start of an off-season that will include considerable travel for the 26-year-old first baseman/outfielder.
“Let’s see, besides going to root for the Wolfpack against the Cincinnati Bearcats, I’ll probably go home to California for a few days,” Bates said. “I’d like to get there before the baseball season is over to see my buddy (Jeremy) Hermida play for Oakland. Also, my girlfriend’s family lives back there so we’ll go see them. Then I’ll relax and hang out for awhile before going to Puerto Rico.”
(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
Aaron has played in the Puerto Rican Winter League for the past several years and will suit up for the Criollos de Caguas for the second straight winter.
“I’ll head down there on October 19th or 20th,” Bates said. “I think the first game is on the 22nd of October, so I’ll go down there and stay through the end of the regular season and we’ll see how the playoffs go and stuff like that. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year with Boston, so I’m going to go down there and try to play well and see what happens.”
Aaron’s mother JoAnn is of Puerto Rican heritage, so Aaron is not classified as a foreign player. That makes him eligible to be traded in the Puerto Rican Winter League and although it does not appear on his Red Sox bio, Bates was actually swapped from Ponce to Caguas for Raul Casanova prior to last season. It worked out well as his new team advanced to the league championship series.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Bates said. “Management is good and I know a few of the guys that are coming back, so I’m excited to get down there and play.”
This past summer was Aaron’s first full season with Pawtucket, and he batted .240 with 12 HR and 54 RBI (.338 OBP/.368 SLG). He earned rave reviews from the coaching staff for working hard on swing changes, even if that meant taking a temporary step backward in hopes of taking two steps forward.
“I think I prepared as well as anyone,” Aaron told me. “Being consistent is always the key with me – both day-to-day and over a long stretch of time. It’s hard not to get result-oriented obviously, but it’s easy not to make any changes when bloop singles are falling in and line drives aren’t getting caught.”
Bates also had to switch from first base to the outfield once Lars Anderson was promoted from Double-A Portland, and I thought he showed considerable improvement defensively as the season progressed.
“I appreciate that – that means that I didn’t look like a first baseman playing left field,” Bates said. “That’s the goal – to go our there and do a serviceable job. I talked to Torey about that. If a scout were to come to a game, would he say that I’m a first baseman playing outfield or an outfielder. That’s the big goal. I think I can do a good job out there. Obviously, I still feel I’m a first baseman and that’s my best position, but the more positions you can play the better.”
Unlike 2009, Bates did not get a promotion to Boston this season, but he says it was still a very enjoyable year.
“It’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had off of the field,” Aaron said. “Chad Paronto kept things loose in the clubhouse – he’s probably one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. Torey was great – he’s a great manager – and Gerald Perry was awesome as a hitting coach. It’s hard to measure success at the Triple-A level by wins and losses because of all of the player movement, but I think it was one my most enjoyable seasons in the clubhouse.”
I hope he enjoys himself in the broadcast booth this Thursday night.
Even when his alma mater loses.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at
http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
A Cross Country Adventure Begins With a 45-Mile Drive To Boston
Visiting great-grandma Gigi and seeing the band Muse will have to wait.
(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
On Sunday morning – several hours before being promoted to Boston for the first time in his career – Lars Anderson described the cross country adventure that he has planned for the end of his season.
“I’m going to drive to see my grandparents in Greensburg, Pennsylvania and spend a couple of days there,” Anderson said. “I’ll also see my great-grandmother – she’s 102 years old. She’s a pretty amazing woman.
“Then I’m driving to Gordonsville, Virginia where my sister lives to spend four or five days. From there, I’ll make a trek across the US where I’ll stop in Colorado to visit some family there and my old roommate and buddy from this organization Reid Engel. Hopefully we’ll do some fishing and hiking.
“If time permits, I’ll drive north hugging the Rockies and cross Montana, then maybe come down through Idaho or drive into Washington and Oregon and see some of the Sierras before winding up in Sacramento.
“There’s this band called Muse from England and they’re playing in Sacramento on the 28th of September and I’m going to try really hard to see them.”
Since the Red Sox will be playing until October 3rd (at least), Lars will have to miss the Muse concert – but he’s certainly not complaining. After hitting .330 (31-for-94) in his last 25 games for Pawtucket, Anderson was hoping for a September promotion.
“I look as it as a win-win,” Lars told me on Sunday morning. “Obviously the goal is to be in Boston at some point and that would be tremendous. If it doesn’t happen I get to go on a beautiful drive so either way it’s going to be cool.”
Between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket, the 22-year old first baseman batted .274/.349/.461 with 37 doubles, 3 triples, and 15 HR in 130 games. His OPS jumped from .673 in 2009 to .810 in 2010.
“I just want to earn whatever comes my way,” Anderson said. “I want to end on a positive note. I feel that the last few weeks along with my first few weeks have been my best weeks this year and I’m happy about that. I’m happy that I’ve stayed mentally tough and have made the necessary adjustments. I feel good about my performance.”
It’s quite a change from the end of last season when Lars batted .154 in his final 40 games and cleared his head after the season by spending three weeks traveling to Germany, Turkey, Prague, and Budapest.
“Last year I had a strong desire to travel that kind of took away from my baseball season,” Lars told me. “I was able to exercise that and I don’t have that desire as much this year. I have a friend from high school that’s going to be studying and teaching in Ecuador and I wouldn’t mind seeing him down there, but I won’t be doing anything as grandiose as last off-season when I went halfway across the world. Maybe I’ll do something in the US – I love the southwest, so I’m sure I’ll do some traveling.”
If nothing else, he still has the cross country drive to look forward to.
It’s just been pushed back a month.
* * * * *
The PawSox ended their season on a winning note on Monday by beating Syracuse 4-3. Pawtucket finished with a record of 66-78 by winning 12 of its last 17 games.
My duties shift to broadcasting University of Cincinnati football this Saturday at noon as the Bearcats host Indiana State (you can listen to the game at 700WLW.com).
I will continue to write about about the PawSox several times a week during the off-season on “Heard it from Hoard,” so I hope you’ll continue to check out the blog.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at
http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
Torey Stories and Congrats To Coello
One of the biggest highlights of my summer has been getting to know Torey Lovullo. He has a great sense of humor, is a terrific storyteller, and has been incredibly accommodating to a couple of radio guys who spend a lot of time in his office looking for material.
(Laker-loving Lovullo on the far right with two pals at the NBA Finals)
Some favorite Torey stories include how he ties his shoelaces in honor of former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, why he is grateful to the late Ernie Harwell, and why his dream is to shake hands with the President at the White House.
My favorite baseball nugget about the PawSox manager is the fact that 10 of his 15 career major league home runs came off of All-Star pitchers. Here’s the illustrious list:
Roger Clemens – 11-time All-Star
Kevin Brown – 6-time All-Star
Jack Morris – 5-time All-Star
Doc Gooden – 4-time All-Star
Rick Sutcliffe – 3-time All-Star
David Wells – 3-time All-Star
Rick Aguilera – 3-time All-Star
Jose Mesa – 2-time All-Star
Bob Wickman – 2-time All-Star
Shane Rawley – 1-time All-Star
Pretty impressive huh?
(photos courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
I sat down with Torey for some season-ending thoughts. Here’s the Q & A:
Fill-in the blank. My first season in Pawtucket was . . .
Very fulfilling. Our job as a staff is to prepare the players the best way possible to go up and contribute at the major league level. Winning is secondary. I think the track record shows that the guys that went up there were prepared and ready to contribute and that’s the main part of our job.
What was the highlight of the season?
I would probably have to say Daniel Nava’s grand slam in his first major league at-bat when we were all gathered in the clubhouse and rooted him on as we watched on TV. He certainly didn’t let us down.
What was the funniest thing that happened?
It probably has something to do with Chad Paronto. I would say the day that he made everybody on the bus wait and then walked on carrying a ‘Meowy Christmas’ sweatshirt. I got a kick out of that because my son was on the bus and he said, ‘That guy is a weird man. What’s going on?’ I had an internal laugh knowing exactly what Chad was doing.
This was your first year in the Red Sox organization after spending eight years managing in the Indians system. Can you pinpoint a biggest difference?
The player development side of it is exactly the same. Mike Hazen took the blueprint from the Cleveland Indians to the Boston Red Sox and laid it right over what’s happening here. The biggest difference without a doubt is that the Boston Red Sox talk about winning the World Series and they really mean it. That’s nothing against the Cleveland Indians, but when they talk about it they hope that things work out right. From day one with the Boston Red Sox, it was about making the playoffs and getting to the World Series.
Do you have any regrets or is there anything you would change if you could do it over?
I don’t think so. I think I come home every night evaluating what I’ve done and I have some daily regrets, but overall regrets no. All I want to do on a given day is to prepare myself the best way that I can to help these kids get better. I can’t hit, run, or throw for them, but what I can do is work with them. I do all that I can in that regard.
Look into your crystal ball and tell me what you expect to see in the future from these three young prospects: Ryan Kalish, Lars Anderson, and Felix Doubront.
In Ryan Kalish, I think we’re talking about a guy who is going to be an All-Star for 10 years. It’s probably hard for people to see that right now because he’s had some ups and downs, but from my standpoint, he goes out there with a championship-caliber mentality that’s second to none. I think he’s going to be pretty spectacular for years to come.
Lars has the mental ability to turn his brain on for the ballgame and turn it off when the day is over – and that goes a long way. I think that Lars is still a work in progress, but he’s going to be a good big leaguer. I think he’ll probably spend the next year here, and then after that be an outstanding big leaguer.
I think the first time that I saw Felix was in Port Charlotte when he shut down the Tampa Bay Rays in two consecutive starts in spring training and I’m like, ‘Who is the world is this guy?’ He’s got mound presence, poise, and is just going to keep getting better. I think he has a legitimate chance to be a top of the rotation starter in the major leagues.
What big-name rehabbing player did you enjoy having on the team the most?
I don’t want to take anything away from all of the guys that were here, but Mikey Lowell was probably the best teammate and big leaguer that came down. He came on board and showed these guys what it is like to be a big leaguer. I know you wanted to cry when he went back up, so he even had an impact on you. He didn’t miss anybody – he was special in so many ways.
What was your favorite New England experience away from the ballpark?
I spent the All-Star break in a tiny little spot south of Provincetown on the Cape. I was able to escape from baseball for three days and recharge my batteries and had some really good quality time with my wife. No cell phones, no TV . . . we played cards and enjoyed spending time away from the ballpark. This is a spectacular area. I didn’t know just how special it is until I got here.
What’s in store when you get home to Southern California?
You go through withdrawal because you’re so conditioned to coming to the ballpark every day. The first couple of days after I get home it feels like I’m playing hooky, but that quickly fades off. I’m looking forward to getting home and spending time with my kids who I’ve missed for the majority of the season. I’m going to spend some time at the beach and be a husband and a father.
* * * * *
Congrats to Robert Coello on his promotion to the Boston Red Sox.
The 25-year-old righty certainly left the PawSox on a positive note. In his final outing on Thursday, Coello struck out the first five batters he faced and finished with six strikeouts in two scoreless innings.
Coello’s arduous journey to the big leagues is similar to Daniel Nava’s.
In case you’re not familiar with it, here’s how a little black book saved Robert’s career.
* * * * *
Jason Varitek is expected to play for the PawSox in their final two games of the season on Sunday and Monday at McCoy Stadium.
It will be the Captain’s third career stint with Pawtucket. Jason played in 20 games for Pawtucket in 1997 (.197 with 1 HR and 5 RBI) and 2 games in 2006 (.429 with 1 HR and 1 RBI).
Sunday’s game begins at 6:05 followed by a big fireworks show. If you can’t make it to the ballpark, I’ll join Bob Montgomery for TV coverage on Cox Sports throughout Rhode Island beginning at 6:00.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at
http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
Clock Ticking For Carlos
On Sunday morning, about two hours before the PawSox faced Rochester, Carlos Delgado stood next to home plate at Frontier Field and prepared to take a swing.
But there was no pitcher on the mound and Delgado didn’t even have a bat in his hands. The only other people on their field were PawSox trainer Jon Jochim and manager Torey Lovullo.
Still, Delgado took a mighty phantom swing and sprinted toward first base as if he had just ripped a base hit. Then he took his lead from the bag and raced from first to third.
It looked more like the NFL combine then a baseball drill, but if Delgado’s body responds favorably to the vigorous workout, he should return to action during the 4-game homestand that gets underway on Monday night at McCoy Stadium.
“Any time you have a caliber of player like Carlos who is willing to put forth the effort that he is putting forth from the time of his surgery to present day, you have to feel like he can make an impact,” Lovullo said.
(photo courtesy of Louriann Mardo-Zayat)
Delgado signed with the Red Sox on August 7th and made his PawSox debut on August 9th, but he pushed himself to get ready for a role in Boston by playing in five out of the team’s next six games. That’s when the 38-year-old slugger began to feel pain in his left hip and lower back, and he has not played since August 15th.
Hanging out and watching Triple-A baseball in International League hot spots like Pawtucket, Rochester, and Scranton is not what Carlos had in mind when he signed a minor league contract.
“I’m really enjoying Providence – I think it’s really nice – but this is not a vacation,” Delgado told me. “I’m here for a reason and I’m working on it. Obviously I would like things to go a little faster than they’re going right now, but I’ll keep working and see what happens.
“It’s made me appreciate my tour through the minor leagues and the effort that it takes to get to the big leagues. It’s been awhile. I don’t feel that old, but it’s been almost 16 years since I played in the minor leagues.”
This hasn’t been a one month rehab for Delgado – it’s been a 16 month ordeal to return to action since having surgery on his right hip.
“I had surgery in May of 2009 and went right into rehab,” Delgado said. “About eight weeks later I was down in Florida at the Mets’ facility trying to get back. I had a setback and then continued to do my rehab, so I was around baseball the whole time. In August of last year I tried to come back, but my hip still wasn’t good enough.”
Delgado took batting practice on Saturday afternoon in Rochester and put on his most impressive show since joining the PawSox as he launched several blasts over the center field fence. With eight days left in Pawtucket’s season, he hopes to show that he’s still capable of doing that in games.
“I knew my rehab stint wasn’t going to be perfect, but I like to think that hitting a baseball is like riding a bicycle – you don’t forget how,” Delgado said. “But that’s why you start in the minor leagues – there’s an adjustment period where you have to get into playing shape, so that’s why I came here.”
Here’s hoping his hard work is about to pay off.
* * * * *
The PawSox will play six of their final eight games at home, and they return to McCoy Stadium as the International League’s hottest team. Pawtucket has won six straight, and went 8-2 on a 10-game road trip to Buffalo and Rochester.
Torey Lovullo is proud that his team is finishing strong despite being out of playoff contention.
“Wins and losses often dictate the energy of a ball club, but these guys have a lot to play for,” Lovullo said. “There are September call-ups, there are 40-man roster implications for next year and beyond, there are other teams’ scouts in the stands, and there is the potential for jobs next year. I haven’t seen the energy fall off and if I do, I will address it.”
Major league rosters expand on Wednesday and several Pawtucket players are likely to get a promotion. Lovullo will also get a call-up after the minor league season ends on September 6th.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be asked to join the big club in September,” Torey told me. “I’ll join the club when they’re in Oakland, so I’ll stay there for about three weeks and get to enjoy the pennant race. I’ll keep my ears and eyes open and do what is asked of me. Then once the season is over, I’ll go home to Southern California and really get away from baseball for a little while. This is a grind. It’s a long season. It’s not the five months that everybody sees – it is 7 ˝ months and it’s every single day. So I’ll take a few weeks off and then get back at it.”
* * * * *
Bubba Bell is letting his hair grow until the end of the season.
This is how he looked with a shaved head.
(photo courtesy of Kelly O’Connor)
Now I think he’s a dead-ringer for actor Jason Statham.
Both of them are having good years. Statham can currently be seen with Sly Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Expendables which has already made $82 million at the box office.
Bell went 2-for-5 with an RBI on Sunday in Rochester and is hitting .298 (.369 OBP) with 5 HR and 46 RBI.
* * * * *
The PawSox will look for their 7th straight win on Monday night as they host Rochester at 7:05.
I’ll join Bob Montgomery for live TV coverage throughout Rhode Island on Cox Sports. Our coverage begins at 7:00.
I’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to tell me who you are and where you’re from in the comments section or you can e-mail me at dhoard@pawsox.com.
And if you Twitter, you can follow my tweets at
http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
Dan Hoard
