muckdogs

First, I want to let you all know that Lance Lynn was moved up to Quad Cities.  He had a great start on the road, going four innings with seven strikeouts.  We all wish him the best of luck!

We have a long homestand coming up starting this Thursday.  Here is some info on those games:

July 31-August 2: State College

• Thursday- Team Photo Giveaway
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks
• Saturday- Ryan Howard Bobblehead giveaway to the first 500 fans

August 3-August 4: Williamsport

• Sunday- Game starts at 4:05; dog bowl giveaway to the first 500 fans, courtesy of Invisible Fence; post-game run the bases
• Monday- "First Pitch Fly In" to benefit Mercy Flight; Muckdog Monday presented by the Daily News

August 6 & August 8: Auburn

• Wednesday- Doubleheader starting at 5:05; Genesee County ARC Night; reusable shopping bag giveaway courtesy of Genesee County ARC; Family Four Pack
• Friday- Launch-a-ball to benefit the Hillside Family of Agencies; post-game fireworks

Keep checking in for game updates! I will have video after each home series! I hope to have a few player one-on-one interviews up during this homestand, too! Hope to see you at the ballpark!

Future Redbirds takes a look at the progress of several Cardinal Prospects.   Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Here are what they say about a few of the Muckdogs.  There's more coverage on the links above.

Pick #2, Supplemental First Round, #39 Overall - Lance Lynn

• Batavia - 14.2 ip, 15 k’s, 3 BB, 1 ER

Lynn pitched 89.2 innings for Ole Miss this season already, so it is my guess (hope) that the Cardinals are going to get him 30-40 relatively easy innings at Batavia this season before starting him at Quad Cities next year.  He has looked pretty dominant at Batavia so far, but there’s no need to rush him this year.  He hasn’t walked anyone in his last three appearances (11 innings) and he’s only given up one extra base hit (a double) in his time at Batavia.

Pick #3, Second Round, #59 overall - Shane Peterson

• Batavia - .352/.455/.429 14.4 BB%, 20 LD%, .471 BABIP

Shane has certainly torn up Batavia in his first twenty-seven games (take a look at that BABIP, though). He played three years in college at Long Beach State and has shown that he can play at this level, so I’d like to see him challenged by a move up to Quad Cities.  He has played all three outfield positions and a little bit of first base, but it seems to me that he profiles best in center field if he’s got the fielding chops to play there.  His power numbers have never really fit for a corner outfielder or first base and that has continued at Batavia (.077 isolated power).  He is, however, still only twenty years old, so he could still grow into more of a power stroke as he moves up the ladder.

Pick #5, Fourth Round, #125 overall - Scott Gorgen

• Batavia - 16 ip, 19 k’s, 5 BB, 4 ER

Gorgen put up outstanding numbers at UC-Irvine and has continued with similar rates at Batavia.  Like Lynn, Gorgen put in quite a few innings in college (115.2), so the Cardinals will probably not want to give him too many more innings this year.  I would bet that if Gorgen was 6′2″ with the same numbers he would get a lot more hype than he has, but continued success at higher levels will be the only antidote to the size bias.

Pick #6, Fifth Round, #155 Overall - Jermaine Curtis

• Batavia - .315/.390/.438 8.0 BB%, 14 LD%, .360 BABIP

Jermaine is a third baseman with a similar offensive profile to Shane Peterson (with the exception, of course, that Curtis is a righty and Peterson is a lefty).  He has hit well, but doesn’t seem to have the power to stay at third base (.123 ISO).  It has been suggested that he may be converted to second base, where his bat would play a lot better.  Of course, like Peterson he is still only twenty years old, so the power could still come.

Pick #20, Round Nineteen, #575 Overall - Xavier Scruggs

• Batavia - .189/.262/.305 7.4 BB%, 18 LD%, .266 BABIP

Xavier was a power hitting first baseman for UNLV, but he hasn’t yet lived up to his reputation in his first 95 at bats at Batavia. He’s got good size and had outstanding plate discipline in college, so it is a little disappointing that he has struggled so much.

Pick #43, Forty-second Round, #1265 Overall - Blakely Murphy

• Batavia - .253/.337/.471 3 hr, 10.1 BB%, 9.0 LD%, .365 BABIP

Blake has been called one of the great sleepers of the draft. Looking at his college numbers, he played four years at Western Carolina University, I can’t understand why he didn’t get more interest in the draft. He had a very solid junior year in college and then put up a line of .367/.495/.683 his senior year, hitting 16 homers in 221 at bats. He isn’t undersized (or oversized for a catcher) at 6′1″, 195 lbs, he’s got good patience at the plate and hits for good power. Maybe he’s a black hole on defense, but those numbers should play anywhere. He hasn’t quite put up the same numbers thus far at Batavia, but he has been solid.

Also covered (see links above):

Pick #15, Round Fourteen, #425 Overall - Charles Cutler

Pick #18, Round Seventeen, #515 Overall - Joshua Hester

Pick #23, Round Twenty-two, #665 Overall - Colt Sedbrook

Pick #25, Round Twenty-four, #725 Overall - Zachary Pitts

Pick #26, Round Twenty-five, #755 Overall - Jason Buursma

Pick #27, Round Twenty-six, #785 Overall - Christopher Swauger

Pick #28, Round Twenty-seven, #815 Overall - George Brown

Pick #39, Thirty-eighth Round, #1145 Overall - Daniel Richardson

Here is a quick video of the key players from the two home games against Oneonta last Tuesday and Wednesday.  More (and better) video is to come!

I also want to start a "Meet the Muckdogs" feature where I do interviews with the players.  Feedback would be great to see who you all want to hear from and learn about!

Enjoy!

 After yet another rainout on Thursday, the Muckdogs took to the road to win a series against the State College Spikes to improve their record to 21-16.  Batavia lost Friday’s contest 4-3 before winning 7-3 on Saturday and 6-5 on Sunday.  Here is a quick look at those games:

• Friday, July 25: State College 4, Batavia 3:  George Brown got the start on the mound, going three and two-thirds innings with seven hits, three runs (two earned) and three strikeouts.  Thomas Eager (1-3) suffered the loss, throwing the last three innings with four hits, one run and three strikeouts.  Jose Garcia led off the game with a triple and ended the night 1-for-3 with a stolen base.  Xavier Scruggs went 2-for-4 with a RBI.

• Saturday, July 26: Batavia 7, State College 3:  Batavia had fourteen hits and eleven strikeouts in the game to get back on the winning track.  Lance Lynn had a strong start, pitching four innings with three hits, one run, one walk and seven strikeouts.  Josh Hester (2-1) also threw four innings with four hits, two runs, one walk and four strikeouts for the win.  Offensively, Xavier Scruggs went 3-for-4 with two solo-homeruns.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-5 with a double and a triple.

• Sunday, July 27: Batavia 6, State College 5:  Zachary Pitts went five innings with three hits, one run, two walks and four strikeouts for the start, but Arquidemes Nieto (4-0) got the win in his three innings.  Nieto let-up four hits and two runs and struck out two.  Jason Buursma earned his second save, facing the last two batters of the game.  Frederick Parejo went 2-for-5 with a RBI and Charley Cutler went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The Muckdogs now travel to Williamsport for a three game series against the Crosscutters before returning home for another three game series versus State College.

From today's D&C:

Rochester Community Baseball is more than satisfied working with and promoting the New York-Penn League Batavia Muckdogs this year, and general manager Dan Mason on Friday said he expects to continue the operation in 2009, with the St. Louis Cardinals remaining as the parent club.

The Muckdogs drew 21,952 for their first 17 home dates this summer. Last year's final home attendance was 44,270 for 38 dates. "We expect attendance to pick up in August, when we'll have fireworks on four Friday nights, and bobblehead nights for Ryan Howard (Saturday) and Chase Utley (Aug. 23)," said Mason.

Dwyer Stadium seats about 2,600 and Mason said the July 4 crowd of 3,012 was the largest for Batavia "in years."

The rain out of yesterday's Muckdog's game also washed away an opportunity to take in nine innings with Bill Kauffman. 

Instead, we sat in the stands above the soggy field surrounded by 500 restless summer camp kids and chatted until the din of some undefinable noises from the sound system drove us away.  Once we discovered a mutual affection for the Pok-A-Dot and concluded the game would not be played, we dashed over to the diner for lunch.

Having exhausted Google in requests for links to articles by Bill Kauffman, I asked him to send me some pointers to published pieces.

This morning's e-mail brings another essay about Batavia, Play Ball, in First Principles.

Kauffman delights in the quirky fates of life in America, where either by chance or odd ball persistence, people leave marks both indelible  and obscure. In "Play Ball," Kauffman passes along the tale of Vince Maney, perhaps the first and perhaps the only Batavian to ever play major league baseball.

The chance of a lifetime was the result of Ty Cobb fighting with a fan, which led to a suspension, which led to Cobb's teammates refusing to take the field, which led to a team of amateurs and semi-pros filling out the roster of the Detroit Tigers for one day nearly a century ago.

The game of May 18, 1912, was a rout. Emergency Tigers pitcher Aloysius Travers, who later became a Jesuit priest, was touched for twenty-four runs on twenty-six hits in eight innings. Who needs a bullpen? Vince Maney described the game in a letter to his brother: “I played shortstop and had more fun than you can imagine. Of course it was a big defeat for us, but they paid us $15 for a couple of hours work and I was satisfied to be able to say that I had played against the world champions. I had three putouts, three assists, one error, and no hits.”

If only Bill James had been sabermetricking in 1912. For Vince also walked once and was hit by a pitch, giving him an on-base percentage of .500. Calling Billy Beane!

Maney played under an assumed name that day. He was a strikebreaker, after all—a scab of sorts, although Ty Cobb wasn’t exactly Samuel Gompers. For nigh unto one hundred years the baseball record books listed Maney as Pat Meaney, forty-one, of Philadelphia. The fictive Meany’s made-up age gave him the specious distinction of being the oldest rookie ever to debut in the majors, till forty-two-year-old Satchel Paige joined Cleveland in 1948.

I just wish I had been in the stands last August when Kauffman read a Charles Bukowski poem to the fans between innings. Perhaps he can be persuaded to reprise the performance this summer.

Batavia (19-15) battled back and forth with Oneonta (17-17) to finally come through to prevail 5-3.  Miguel Tapia (4-2) went five innings on the mound with two hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts to get the win.  Adam Reifer got his tenth save in his usual fashion, pitching a hitless 9^th with one strikeout.

The Muckdogs jumped on the board first in the 2^nd inning when Blake Murphy doubled and was then driven in on a Domnit Bolivar sacrifice fly.  The Tigers answered back with two runs of their own in the 3^rd after Christopher White walked and Ben Guez hit a homerun.  But Batavia tied it up in the bottom of the inning.  Beau Riportella singled, Jose Garcia reached on a fielder’s choice and Colt Sedbrook was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Shane Peterson then flew out to centerfield for a RBI.

Batavia came through to break the tie and get the win in the 5^th when the same three players loaded the bases again after Riportella doubled, Garcia was hit by a pitch and Sedbrook singled.  Peterson then cracked a double to clear the bases.

Riportella went 2-for-3 at the plate while Murphy went 2-for-4, each with a double.  Peterson had four RBI.  The rubber-match between the two teams is set for an early 11:05 start on Thursday.

The Muckdogs (18-15) added one to the loss column, falling 6-3 to the Oneonta Tigers (17-16).  Jameson Maj (2-2) got the start and the loss, pitching five innings with four hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts.  For the Tigers, Darwin De Leon (3-1) got the win in five and two-thirds innings with three hits, two runs, two walks and one strikeout.  Aaron Fuherman pitched the last three and a third innings with two hits, one run and two strikeouts to get his first save of the season.

Oneonta struck first in the 3^rd inning when Ben Guez reached on a fielding error, Joshua Workman doubled and Bryan Pounds flew out for the RBI.  Angel Flores singled to score the other run in the inning.  In the 6^th, they made it 3-0 when Mike Gosse reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on Brent Wyatt triple.

Batavia answered back in the bottom of the inning when Shane Peterson was hit by a pitch and Blake Murphy hit his third homerun of the season.  However, Oneonta scored three in the 7^th to seal their win.  Guez walked, stole second and scored when Pounds singled.  Then Billy Nowlin and Gosse both had RBI singles.

The Muckdogs’ last run came in the bottom of the 7^th on a Beau Riportella double and a Jose Garcia single.  Riportella ended the night 2-for-4.

Batavia Middle School will get a rock climbing wall. The city School Board approved the purchase of the $55,000 wall at its meeting last night, according to the Daily News. Reporter Joanne Beck writes: "The district can afford the purchase with surplus year-end funds from 2007-08, Business Administrator Scott Rozanski said."

At the same meeting, following the purchase of the rock wall, the board then approved an increase in breakfast and lunch prices at city schools, reported Beck. Breakfast will now be $1.10 at the elementary school and $1.25 at the middle and high schools; lunch will be $1.55 and $1.85, respectively.

Work on the Walnut Street roundabout and street reconstruction will be postponed until next year. City Manager Jason Molino told the Daily News that "the decision was made by contractor CATCO." It was decided to hold off on the project "to minimize disruptions to the normal traffic flow," and meetings will be held in February to "help people understand how best to navigate and use the roundabout."

Mercy Flight and the Batavia Muckdogs will join together for a fundraiser that will grant two lucky raffle winners the chance to ride a helicopter from the airport to Dwyer Stadium and throw out the first pitch of that night's game. A $10 ticket will include admission to the Muckdogs game on August 4, as well as entry into the drawing. "Mercy Flight will get $6 out of every $10 ticket sold." Tickets can be purchased at Dwyer Stadium and at Mercy Flight's base at Genesee County Airport. Winners will be announced at the August 1 Muckdogs game.

Congratulations to Batavia's 11-year-old Little League Baseball all-stars whop took home the District 3 championship last night in the second straight defeat of Oakfield. In its past three games, Batavia has outscored its opponents 34-4. Talk about an offensive powerhouse!

As always, we encourage you to get out and pick up a copy of the Daily News at local newsstands. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

For the second Sunday in a row the Muckdogs were rained out, this time after not quite a full inning of play.  The game is re-scheduled for August 6th when Auburn comes back into town.

The Muckdogs were on the road this past Wednesday through Sunday for a three-game series against Staten Island and a game in Auburn.  They finished the trip 2-2.  Here is a quick recap of those games:

• Wednesday, July 16: Staten Island 6, Batavia 5:  Ramon Delgado (1-1) got the start and the loss, going three and a third innings with eight hits and six runs (five earned). Jameson Maj had a strong performance, throwing the last four innings allowing only one hit with six strikeouts and no walks.  Offensively, Batavia had twelve hits to Staten Islands ten.  Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-5 with his first homerun of the season.  Jermaine Curtis and Domnit Bolivar went 4-for-5 and 2-for-4, respectively, each with a double.
• Thursday, July 17: Batavia 4, Staten Island 2: Scott Gorgen started the game, going four innings with three hits, two runs, one walk and two strikeouts, but Miguel Tapia (3-2) scored the win.  Tapia pitched three and a third innings with three hits, two walks and three strikeouts.  Adam Reifer pitched a scoreless 9th with one strikeout for the save.  Sedbrook was big at the plate again, going 3-for-4 with a double and a stolen base.
• Friday, July 18: Staten Island 3, Batavia 2:  The Yankees broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 9th to win the rubber-match.  George Brown (0-1) suffered the loss in three innings, letting up five hits, three runs and one walk with three strikeouts.  Thomas Eager started the game, throwing five innings with two hits and three strikeouts.  Frederick Parejo went 2-for-4 with a homerun and Christian Rosa went 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
• Saturday, July 19: Batavia 7, Auburn 5:  Josh Hester had a great start, pitching four and a third innings, allowing only one hit and five strikeouts.  Hector Cardenas (2-0) pitched three innings with a walk and two strikeouts for the win.  Reifer pitched another scoreless 9th with one strikeout for his eighth save.  At the plate, Sedbrook went 2-for-4 with a triple.  Shane Peterson went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Rosa went 2-for-5, also with a double and a RBI.

The Muckdogs (17-14) are now tied for second place in the Pinckney Division with Auburn, whom they play tonight.  They then come home for a three-game series against the Oneonta Tigers.  Tuesday and Wednesday's games start at 7:05 and Thursday has an early start of 11:05.

The Muckdogs (15-12) dropped the first game 3-1 but rallied back in dramatic fashion to win the second game and the series against the Aberdeen Ironbirds (13-14).

In the first game, Josh Hester (1-1) pitched three innings, giving up six hits and three runs with two strikeouts in the loss.  Aberdeen’s Cole McCurry (4-0) earned the win, pitching five innings with five hits, one run and four strikeouts.

The Ironbirds scored two in the 2^nd when Lee Ellis singled and Robert Widlansky hit a homerun over the right field wall.  The Muckdogs looked to threaten in the bottom of the inning when they scored their one run.  Chris Swauger doubled and Domnit Bolivar singled to move Swauger to third before Xavier Scruggs flied out for the RBI.

Aberdeen’s last run came on three singles off the bats of Caleb Joseph, Jacob Julius and Tyler Kolodny.  Batavia’s Colt Sedbrook went 2-for-3 in the game.

In the second contest of the night, Hector Cardenas (1-0) got the win through his one inning of work.  Joseph Esposito (0-1) got the loss and the blown save as he allowed two hits and three runs with three walks and two strikeouts in one inning.

The Ironbirds jumped out to an early lead in the 1^st when Calvin Lester singled, stole second and scored on a wild pitch. Batavia started their offense in the 3^rd, scoring three runs.  Charley Cutler singled then Sedbrook tripled to drive him in.  Jermaine Curtis singled and Shane Peterson doubled to score the other two.

Things then got interesting when Aberdeen had a big six-run 6^th inning.  An Eric Perlozzo single, Calvin Lester single, then a Joseph double started the rally.  After a pitching change, Julius walked and Kolodny was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Joseph scored on a wild pitch.  An Ellis double and Widlansky single plated the other runs.

The Muckdogs weren’t done though, as they started the comeback, scoring twice in the bottom of the 6^th.  Peterson singled and Jon Edwards was hit by a pitch before both advanced a base on a wild pitch.  Cutler then singled to get two RBI.

After holding Aberdeen in the next inning, Batavia continued their rally.  Sedbrook led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Curtis followed with another walk.  Then with two outs, Christian Rosa dropped a single in front of the plate to score Sedbrook.  Scruggs then came into the spotlight, as he smashed a double to right field to score the two winning runs to end the game as the Muckdogs won 8-7.

Peterson went 2-for-4 with a double and Cutler went 2-for-3 with two RBI to finish out the homestand.  The Muckdogs now travel to Staten Island for a three game series.

The Batavia Muckdogs' home game tonight, 7/14, against the Aberdeen Ironbirds is a double header since the game was rained out on Sun., 7/13.  Game start time is 5:05pm.  Booster Club 50/50 sales will begin normal time, 6pm.  If I'm not mistaken, both games will be a total of 7 innings each, unless there's OT.

The Muckdogs (14-11) improved their winning streak to three games, winning 4-1 against the Aberdeen Ironbirds (12-13). LaCurtis Mayes’s (1-0) one inning of work was enough to get him the win on the mound. Adam Reifer (6) pitched a scoreless 9^th, walking one and striking out two to get the save. On the losing end, Aaron Odom (1-3) pitched five innings with seven hits, two earned runs and eight strikeouts for the loss.

 The Muckdogs (12-11) rallied early to edge out the Lowell Spinners (11-12) 5-3 behind the winning pitcher Jameson Maj (2-1). Maj went five innings, striking out six while giving up four hits and two runs. Lowell’s Yeiper Castillo got the loss in his one inning of work, walking three and allowing four earned runs.

Adam Reifer let up one hit and had one strikeout in the 9^th to get his fifth save. Murphy went 1-for-4 on the night with a double and three RBI.

Don't forget everyone...  Every Friday home game of the Batavia Muckdogs, from now until the end of the season, is scheduled to have fireworks every night after the game.

A story in the local section of today's Daily News about the logo design contest for the New York-Penn League was missing one very important element. In a story all about designs, it would have been nice to see them.

So I went online and found them.

First things first, make sure you visit the Web site and vote for your favorite. There are six altogether from five finalists — Matthew Steinberg of Corfu got two submissions into the finals. Unfortunately, you can't tell which two are his. (This one to the left here is the current logo.)

Here are some more details about the contest from the Minor League Baseball Web site:

At the beginning of April, the New York-Penn League announced their current logo would be retired at the completion of the 2008 season. In an effort to find a new mark, the league announced a contest to help design the new logo. The league received over 80 designs from talented artists as far away as Paris, France, as well as designers from throughout the New York-Penn League community. After narrowing the competition to the top five designs, the contest will now be turned over to you, the fans, to select the league’s new logo.

And here are the final six. I kind of like Option Nos. 4 and 5.

Now, go vote!

Nice little tidbit buried at the bottom of the Buffalo News story on Jeff Weaver signing with the Bisons.

The Muckdog's game drew a record crowd: 3,021.

We were there handing out water bottle kozies -- we gave out 1,000 of them prior to the game. They were a big hit with people who arrived before we did coming from the stands to ask for their own once they saw they were available.

We also handed out about 750 at the Ramble yesterday. Again, big hit.

It was fun to meet so many people who already visit The Batavian regularly, and we made several new friends, I think.

But back to the Muckdogs, please be sure to check out Eric Manning's post on the Muckdog's hot prospects. I stumbled about Eric's blog Future Redbirds the other day and asked if he would be willing to fill us in on who the top players are on the Muckdogs.  If you're a St. Louis Cardinals fan (and there seemed to be several of them at the game on Friday), Future Redbirds seems like a must-read web site.

And while we're talking about Muckdogs coverage, the Muckdog's intern Molly Radzinski, a broadcasting major from Albion, has been doing a great job of providing us game recaps. Here's one.

I couldn't stay for the whole game Friday because I promised my wife I wouldn't be gone long, but I need to get back to Dwyer Stadium soon -- it's a great ballpark. There isn't a bad seat in the house, near as I can tell, and the fans are really into the game.

I need to go to a game soon, and so should you.

So you're going to a Muckdogs game, but you're just not sure who you should be paying attention to. I am the main writer and founder of the blog FutureRedbirds.com, and as someone who tracks the farm system very closely but doesn't have the privilege of being in driving distance to Dwyer Stadium, here are the players I'd be watching keenly at each game if I were you:

Hitters

(Photo: Mark6Mauno)

Shane Peterson, OF---Shane Peterson was drafted this year in the 2nd round out of perennial powerhouse Long Beach State University, a team that featured 8 players drafted in the first seven rounds, and has recently helped produce rising hitting stars Troy Tulowitzki and Evan Longoria. Peterson was the first of the many Dirtbag players selected on draft day. The sweet-swinging lefty played first base and pitched in college, and has the speed and arm to hold down a corner outfield spot. Peterson was among the leaders in the Big West Conference in batting average (.390) slugging percentage (.582) and he led the conference in on-base percentage (.506). Being a rather statistically-inclined club as the Cardinals are, they jumped on him on draft day. Not everyone in scouting circles are sold on his hitting ability in spite of his tremendous college stats, as Peterson has an unorthodox hitting approach; he holds his bat up by his ear and uses a two-step swing. He does however generate excellent bat speed and has a high finish, allowing him add loft to the ball. Whatever he is doing is working so far in his first taste of pro ball, as Peterson is currently batting .379, the second highest average in the New York Penn League.

Jon Edwards, OF---Edwards fell to the 14th round of the 2006 draft in part because he was ineligible for the first half of his senior season in high school. The Cardinals went well over slot to sign him, giving him a bonus of $100K. He is a serious physical specimen, standing at 6-5 and 230 lbs. He has as much raw power as any Cardinal hitter in the system, but as with most high school players, he came to the club quite raw and is still a work in progress. In his first minor league season he hit .266/.360/.461 (AVG/OBP/SLG) for rookie league Johnson City and was ranked a Top 10 Appalachian League prospect by Baseball America. He returned to the Appy League in his 2nd pro season, but had trouble making contact, batting only .245. He still showed the ability to take a walk and hit for power, and was moved up to Batavia at the end of the 2007 season. In his short time at Batavia, Edwards went 13-for-33 with 5 extra base hits. That hot streak has carried over so far this season; he's sixth in the NY Penn League batting race (.358) and is leading the league in slugging percentage by a wide margin, with a whopping .736. Edwards profiles as a "Three True Outcomes" hitter; the Three True Outcomes being a homer, walk or a strikeout, a la Adam Dunn. He has a long swing but generates lots of power, but has good pitch recognition for a 20 year old hitter. He has a strong arm in right field, but has below average range.

Other names to know, hitters to watch

3B Jermaine Curtis was the club's 5th round pick in 2008 out of the University of California. He is known for having a fine glove and a keen batting eye, and his 42 walks were the most drawn by any Bruin since Troy Glaus drew 57 in 1997...1B Xavier Scruggs was an uncertain sign as a junior and therefore fell to the 19th round this past June, but was ranked the 197th best draft prospect by Baseball America. For UNLV he hit for the Mountain West Conference triple crown. He’s strong and quick to the ball, and has sound plate discipline, but has struggled mightily thus far...19 year old catcher Luis De La Cruz was ranked the clubs' 30th best prospect by BA headed into the 2008 season, particularly for his all around defensive skills behind the plate. He struggled for the low A River Bandits and was demoted to Batavia...CF Frederick Parejo was signed out of Venezuela as a 16 year old free agent two years ago and is developing fairly rapidly. He was the talk of Extended Spring Training amongst the Cardinal coaches and scouts, and was rewarded with an aggressive promotion. He's considered a pure center fielder.

Pitchers

(Image: sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

RHP Lance Lynn---Lynn was the Cardinals supplemental round pick this past year out of Ole Miss. The Indiana native was originally drafted by the Mariners in the 6th round of the 2005 draft but opted to go to school. That decision paid off handsomely. For the Rebels this past season he posted a 4.52 ERA with 110 strikeouts to 30 walks over 89.2 innings. He has a potential for two plus pitches-a fastball at 92-93 and a sharp curve, and profiles as a middle of the rotation innings eater. He has terrific mechanics and also throws a slider and a change-up, although both are inconsistent offerings at this point. Lefties had no troubles hitting Lynn in the SEC last year, so he'll need to work on getting more consistent with the change.

RHP Scott Gorgen---His twin brother Matt is currently Muckdog rival Hudson Valley's closer and pitched for the U of Cal.; Matt was taken in the 4th round this past June out of UC Irvine, and was the higher regarded of the two. For the Anteaters this past spring, Gorgen was 12-3 with a 2.26 ERA and had 123 strikeouts to 40 walks in 115.2 innings. His fastball is in the 87-90 MPH range, and tops out at 92. His change-up is his bread and butter and he'll throw it often and in any count. It's a "plus-plus" pitch and was considered to be one of the best change-ups in this past draft, if not the best. Gorgen can locate the pitch wherever he wishes and it has late tumbling action, much like a split-finger fastball. The main knock on Gorgen is he's short and stocky at 5-10, 190, and he doesn't have much of a breaking ball.

RHP and Closer Adam Reifer---Reifer was drafted in 2007 in the 11th round out of UC Riverside. He was considered a top two round talent but fell due to injury concerns surrounding his pitching elbow and shoulder. He had a bone spur removed in his elbow and shoulder tendinitis, and the Cardinals have been very cautious with him. Before the injury Reifer was throwing 91-94 with regularity, and has touched up to 96 MPH. He also has a hard, late breaking slider. After witnessing the amount of college closers taken in the first few rounds in this past draft, Reifer could be a huge steal.

Other names to know, pitchers to watch

RHP Jason Buursma was the Cards 25th round pick out of Bucknell U. He was a Brooks Wallace Award finalist, one of college baseball's top honors. A two-way player, he hit .367 with 13 homers as an outfielder as well as posting a 9-3 record with a 2.58 ERA as a pitcher. He throws submarine style...RHPs Arquimedes Nieto and Miguel Tapia were two of the top pitching prospects from the Cardinals Dominican Summer League last season. Nieto is a Panamanian product who had 56 strikeouts to only 13 walks with a 2.73 ERA in 59.1 innings for the DSL Cardinals in 2007. In the exact same amount of innings, the 20 year old Dominican Tapia had 57 K's to 29 walks and 3.34 ERA. Although Nieto has shown better command, the organization considers Tapia to have the higher ceiling of the two.

The Muckdogs (10-8) celebrated more than just Independence Day, posting a 9-2 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades (9-9) to complete the series sweep.  Ramon Delgado (1-0) pitched the first five innings to get the win, letting up four hits and striking out one.   Hudson Valley’s Chris Andujar (0-1) got the loss, going three innings with five earned runs, four walks and three strikeouts. 
 

Batavia once again jumped out to an early lead in the 1^st.  Jose Garcia started off with a walk and Colt Sedbrook followed with a RBI triple.  Shane Peterson then singled before Jon Edwards hit a two-run homerun to jump out to a 4-0 lead.  The Muckdogs’ other big inning came in the 5^th as they scored two runs, the first on a solo homerun by Chris Swauger.  Back-to-back doubles by Xavier Scruggs and Charley Cutler scored the second. 
 

Hudson Valley avoided being shutout in the 9^th when John Mollicone reached on a two-out fielding error by Scruggs.  Kyeong Kang followed with a homerun to score the Renegades’ two runs. 
 

Peterson went 3-for-4 with three singles, two runs and two RBI.  Batavia now goes on the road to play a three-game series in Vermont.