Category Archives: From the Desk of Decal

Any one of a number of players could claim the third base job for the Ironpigs in 2011.  Right now it seems to me like the logical choice is Jeff Larish.   Tagg Bozied and Pete Orr were profiled at first and second base respectively but both could also see playing time at the hot corner.

For three years I have talked about the jet stream to right field at Coca-Cola Park and the need for a lefty power hitter who could take advantage of it.   Andy Tracy was terrific in his three years with the Ironpigs but he was more of a gap hitter than a pull hitter.  That was never more evident than it was in the AAA homerun derby last year on July 12th.  While Dan Johnson of the Durham Bulls was lofting homerun after homerun over the Bud Light Trough down the rightfield line,  Andy was hitting balls just as far, maybe farther, that were either off the wall or landing on the warning track in right-center and centerfield.   The tentative roster for 2011 appears to have more left-handed power than any of the previous Ironpigs teams and Larish is at the top of that list.  He needs to be in the lineup somewhere, so why not at third base?                   
 
Jeff Larish
DOB 10/11/82, Iowa City, Iowa.  6’2″ 200.  Bats/Throws: L/R
 
Jeff played baseball at Arizona State University and also played on the USA silver medal team at the 2003 Pan American Games.   In his last year at Arizona State he became just the third player in College World Series history to hit 3 homeruns in one game.  He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 2005 amateur player draft and played briefly in the rookie league before being promoted to Oneonta in the New York Penn League where he hit  .297 with 6 homeruns in just 64 at bats.  In 2006 he played for Lakeland in the Florida State League and hit 18 homeruns.  By 2007 he was in AA playing for Erie in the Eastern League where he hit .267 with 28 homeruns.  In 2008 he hit 21 homeruns for the Toledo Mud Hens in the International League and also made his big league debut with the Tigers on May 30th.  He hit .260 for the Tigers playing mostly third base and first base.  He split the 2009 season between Toledo and Detroit and did the same in 2010 until he was selected off waivers by the Oakland A’s on August 3rd.  He was granted free agency at the end of the season and signed with the Phillies on November 18, 2010.  In his 3 seasons of AAA ball he hit .266 with 47 homeruns and 164 RBI’s. He played mostly first base in 2008 and 2009 mainly because of the presence of Mike Hessman at third but in 2010 he played 53 games at third base and 38 games at first base.  He has a lifetime batting average of .333 (15-45) with 4 homeruns at Coca-Cola-Park.  The 4 homers have come in his last 7 games at CCP and all of them were hit to right field.  Whether he’s at third base, first base or DH, hopefully we will see plenty of those right field homers in 2011. 

 
 
Cody Overbeck
DOB 6/5/86.  Atoka, TN.  6’1″  200.  Bats/Throws: R/R
 
Cody attended the University of Mississippi and was drafted by the Phillies in the 9th round  of the 2008 amateur player draft after his junior year.  He was assigned to Williamsport where he hit .272 with 12 homeruns.  In 2009 he bypassed Lakewood and moved up to Clearwater where he hit just .230 with 12 homeruns.  He began the 2010 season back in Clearwater and hit .302 with 11 homeruns in just 215 at bats.  He was picked to play in the Florida State League All Star game but was promoted to AA Reading just before the game was played.  After a slow start at Reading he finished at .255 with 13 homeruns giving him a total of 24 homeruns between Clearwater and Reading, however, in 490 at bats last year he struck out 134 times.  Pitch selection is an area where he needs to improve and that comes with playing time.   My instincts tell me he begins 2011 back in Reading where he can continue to play everyday.  If he does well, he could be with the Ironpigs by July or August.

No position better mirrors the struggles of the Ironpigs in their first three seasons more than second base.  From Gookie Dawkins to Casey Smith to Oscar Robles to Pablo Ozuna to Miguel Cairo to David Newhan to J.J. Furmaniak to Luis Maza to Melvin Dorta to Ozzie Chavez, the Ironpigs have certainly gone through their share of second basemen in their 3 year history.  And that was just the “short” list.  Names like Jason Donald, Jorge Velandia, Joey Hammond and Keoni De Renne also come to mind.   Last year, an injury to Jimmy Rollins bumped Wilson Valdez to the Phillies before he ever played a home game for the Ironpigs.  Have the Ironpigs ever had a second baseman who returned for a second year?  I can’t think of any.   On paper it appears that the 2011 Ironpigs  may have the best group of second basemen in their short history    The top 3 candidates for 2011 are listed below.  Keep in mind that it’s not a lock that Wilson Valdez makes the Phillies opening day roster this year so he could be back.  Also, the Phillies pick in the Rule 5 Draft, Michael Martinez is primarily a second baseman.   The Phillies would have to negotiate a deal with the Washington Nationals if Martinez doesn’t make the major league roster and stay there all year (ala David Herndon) but if that happens, he would be assigned to either AAA or AA.  The Phillies also obtained second baseman Albert Cartwright from the Astros in exchange for Sergio Escalona but Cartwright is at least a year or two away from AAA.

The top 3:  
 
Josh Barfield
DOB 12/17/82,  Barquisimeto, Lara,  Venezuela.   6’0″ 190.  Bats/Throws: R/R 
 
Josh is the son of former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jesse Barfield. He was born in Venezuela when his mother went to visit his dad who was playing baseball in the Venezuelan Winter League.   Josh was a 4th round pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2001 draft.   He hit .310 in the Rookie League in 2001 and followed it up by hitting .297 in 2002 and .337 with 16 homeruns in 2003.  In 2004, Baseball America listed him as the #1 prospect in the Padres organization.  Playing his first year at the AA level in ’04 he hit just .248 but blasted 18 homeruns.  In 2005 he was again listed as the #1 prospect for the Padres and was promoted to AAA Portland where he hit .310 with 15 homeruns.   In 2006 at the age of 23 he was in the major leagues with the Padres where he played 147 games at second base, hitting .280 with 13 homeruns while stealing 21 bases.  However after the season ended he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in a deal that brought Kevin Kouzmanoff to the Padres.   Josh played 120 games for the Indians in 2007 but saw his batting average drop to .243 with just 3 homeruns.  He found himself back in the minors in 2008 where he hit just .251 at the AAA level.  He also spent most of 2009 in AAA and hit .252.  At the end of the ’09 season he was granted free agency and on February 19, 2010 he signed with his original team, the San Diego Padres.  He spent the 2010 season at Portland in the Pacific Coast League and hit .294.  At the end of the season he again became a free agent and on November 19, 2010 he was signed to a minor league contract by the Phillies with an invitation to major league spring training.  Josh’s younger brother Jeremy is a highly rated outfielder in the Oakland organization.
 
Pointless trivia:  Jesse Barfield, father of Josh Barfield and John Mayberry Sr., father of John Mayberry Jr., combined for a total of 496 major league homeruns. 
 
Pete Orr
DOB 6/8/79, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.  6’1″ 175.  Bats/Throws:  L/R
 
Peterson Thomas Gordon Orr was signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves in 1999.  In his minor league career he has played every position except catcher and first base with most of his games coming at second base, shortstop and third base.    He slowly progressed through the Braves farm system reaching the AAA Richmond Braves in 2004 where he hit .320 with 24 stolen bases.  He made his major league debut in 2005 and had 45 hits in 150 at bats for a .300 average.  He was used primarily as a utility man with the Braves, playing games at second, third, shortstop and left field.  He also spent the 2006 season with the Braves and hit .253 but most of his playing time came at second base.  He split the 2007 season between AAA and the Braves.  The Braves released him following the 2007 season and he was signed by the Washington Nationals on December, 15, 2009.  He hit .253 in 75 at bats for the Nationals in ’09 but spent most of the year with the Syracuse Chiefs where he hit .245 with 9 homeruns.  He played for Syracuse again in 2010 and hit .264 with 12 homeruns and 25 stolen bases.  He was granted free agency on November 6, 2010 and was signed by the Phillies on November 10th.  Pete played third base for Canada in the 2004 Summer Olympics.   Expect to see him at second base, third base and shortstop this summer. 

Pete Orr playing shortstop for Syracuse vs. John Mayberry & the Ironpigs

Harold Garcia
DOB 10/25/86, Maracaibo, Venezuela.  5’11” 164.  Bats/Throws: S/R
 
Harold was signed by the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent on September 7, 2004.  From 2005 to 2007 he played in the Venezuelan Development League and steadily improved each year.  In 2008 he played in the Gulf Coast Rookie League  and hit .299 with 5 homeruns.  He moved up to Lakewood in 2009 and hit .291 with 8 homers but it wasn’t until 2010 that he really emerged as a highly regarded prospect.  He began 2010 at Clearwater and hit .335 in 46 games.  He had a 37 game hitting streak for the Threshers, breaking a  Florida State League record  that had been on the books since 1951.   He earned a promotion to AA Reading where he hit .281 with 5 homeruns in 55 games.  Harold recently finished his season in the Venezuela Winter League where he hit .286.  He will likely begin 2010 at Reading but if he continues to improve he could move up at some point during the 2011 season.

“I’m done. I decided pretty much after this past season that I wasn’t going to pursue anything. I’ve been putting way too much into it and not getting enough out of it, as far as the rehab, working out, training, and then not getting the type of results I expect from myself.”

“I wanted to make this decision now, rather than go into another season on another minor-league deal. I didn’t want to go through the head games of, ‘Am I going to make the team?’ I don’t mind the pressure. I just don’t want to fall into another situation like I had the last couple years, where I busted my tail getting back and then got hurt again shortly after I made the team.”

Benson was 1-4 5.52 in 60 1/3 innings with the 2008 Ironpigs.  In 1996 he was the first player taken in the MLB June amateur draft.  He finishes his career with a 70-75 4.42 big league record, while pitching for the Pirates, Mets, Orioles, Rangers and Diamondbacks.

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How do you replace the man who was the face of the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs for the past 3 years?  The answer is you don’t.   You just hope you can find someone who can step up to adequately fill those shoes.   I honestly feel there are any one of a number of players who can put up homerun/rbi numbers similar to Andy Tracy but it is his presence in the clubhouse where Andy may be irreplaceable.  Whether it’s a first baseman or a player at another position, someone has to step up to become the new team leader.   Looking at the AAA players currently under contract with the Phillies, there are several first basemen who have also played regularly at other positions.  For that reason, you won’t see Jeff Larish in this category.   With what is presently known, it appears to me that Larish is a better fit at third base although I’m sure he will see time at first base as well.   The top rated first baseman in the Phillies farm system is Jonathan Singleton and he is only 19 years old.  Singleton played for the Lakewood BlueClaws in 2010 and hit .290 with 14 homeruns.  Plate discipline is rare for a player that young but he drew 62 walks to raise his onbase percentage to a very impressive .393.  He has shown very good defensive skills at first base but is now learning how to play left field where his chances of advancing through the system are much better.   He’ll likely start the year at Clearwater and possibly see some time at Reading.   I’m not sure who will begin the season at first base in Reading since Kevin Mahar is a free agent and the other 2 guys who played first base there last year are hoping to move up.   They are Matt Rizzotti and Tagg Bozied.
 
Matt Rizzotti
DOB: 12/24/85, Floral Park, NY.  6’5″ 235.  Bats/Throws: L/L 

Matt Rizzotti playing first base at CCP

Matt was drafted out of Manhattan College in the 6th round of the 2007 draft by the Phillies.   It’s a dubious label but right now most Ironpigs fans only know Rizzotti as the guy who is expected to replace Andy Tracy at first base this year.  He’s also the guy who “took out” Diggity and Chris P. Bacon, allowing Hambone to win the final pork race of the 2010 season. 

 Philadelphia sportswriter Marcus Hayes once described Rizzotti as “the 24 year old guy with a 44 year old’s hairline”.  Early scouting reports also said Rizzotti had “feet of clay and hands of stone”.  While he has been working on his defense in the Florida Instructional League the past 2 years, it’s his bat that got everyones attention in 2010.   In his first 3 years in the Phillies minor league system his batting average ranged  from the mid .260’s to the upper .270’s and his power numbers were only fair for a guy his size.  His name wasn’t even mentioned among the top Phillies prospects by the major publications.  Then came 2010.  He began the 2010 season playing first base for the Clearwater Threshers.  While the power numbers still weren’t there in Clearwater, he managed to hit .358 in 31 games which was good enough to earn him a promotion to Reading.   He continued to build on those numbers in AA, playing in 77 games and hitting .361 (96-266).  The power finally showed up in Reading as he hit 16 homeruns and had 62 RBI’s.  In early August he arrived at Coca-Cola Park and took over at first base.  Unfortunately, nagging injuries hampered his performance and he hit just .200 with 0 homeruns in 45 AAA at bats.   His combined statistics at all 3 levels shows a solid .343 average (144-420) with 17 homeruns and 76 RBIs.  He also played in the Arizona Fall League in October and hit .333 in 63 at bats but again the power was missing as he failed to hit a homerun.  Rizzotti is the guy the organization wants to see at first base for the Ironpigs this year.   However, if he struggles in spring training I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the year at Reading until he starts hitting.  Even if that happens, Matt Rizzotti will likely play more games at first base for the Ironpigs this year than anyone else on the roster.  Is he a late bloomer or is he a one year flash in the pan?  Only time will tell.  
 
Robert Tanois Taggert “Tagg” Bozied
DOB: 7/24/79, Sioux Falls, SD.  6’3″ 215.  Bats/Throws: Right/Right
 
Tagg Bozied was a 3rd round draft pick in 2001 by the San Diego Padres.  He was primarily a third baseman in college at the University of San Francisco where he hit more homeruns than anyone else in the school’s history.  He was recently inducted into the USF Hall of Fame and his #19 college jersey was retired.   He is married to former USF and professional volleyball player Laura Tinetti.  In 1999 at USF Tagg hit .412 with 30 homeruns and 82 RBIs, winning the Big West Conference Triple Crown and earning him “Player of the Year” honors.   His .936 slugging percentage was the highest in Division I college baseball.  He followed up that year with a .359 batting average in 2000 and .335 in 2001.  As a professional at the AAA level he has a career average of .283 with 95 homeruns.  He was signed as a free agent by the Phillies prior to the 2010 season and was assigned to AA Reading.   At Reading in 2010 he hit .315 which was 10th best in the league,  he hit 27 homeruns which was 2nd in the EL (he had over 150 fewer at bats than the league leader who hit 33), his 92 RBI’s ranked 4th in the league and his .631 slugging percentage was second to Matt Rizzotti.  With the Reading Phillies he played 48 games at first base, 33 games at third base and 8 games in the outfield.  He hit .327 with 12 homeruns in 98 at bats vs. left handed pitching.  That’s a remarkable 1 homerun for every 8 at bats against a lefty.  Did someone say the Phillies need a right handed bat?   Tagg was also featured in a few humorous tv commercials for the Reading Phillies last summer.  Tagg Bozied will turn 32 this year and has never played a game in the major leagues.  Maybe this will be his year.  Or maybe he ends up back in Reading.  I’m just hoping that at least for a while we have a “Taggalicious” summer in the Lehigh Valley.  His power right handed bat would look good between all the lefties.   
 
Here’s a nice Reading Phillies promotional video of Tagg Bozied teaching Matt Rizzotti how to be the Arby’s RBI guy.

The Phillies have just 2 catchers on their 40 man roster, Carlos Ruiz and Brian Schneider and they will likely be the backstops with the Phillies on opening day.   The highest rated catcher in the Phillies farm system is Sebastian Valle and Baseball America has him rated as the Phillies #6 minor league prospect while the John Sickels scouting reports currently have him #7.  Valle is only 20 years old and spent the 2010 season as a member of the Lakewood Blue Claws where he hit .255 with 16 HR.  He is likely to begin 2011 at Clearwater.  Tim Kennelly is a 24 year old from Australia who split time between catcher and the outfield for the Clearwater Threshers in 2010.  He hit .274 for the Threshers and was one of the Phillies players in the Arizona Fall League this year where he hit .293.  Look for him to move up to Reading.

The guys most likely to see the majority of time behind the plate for the 2011 Lehigh Valley Ironpigs are Erik Kratz, Dane Sardinha and Tuffy Gosewisch.  Since the Ironpigs usually carry just 2 catchers, one of these guys will likely be at Reading to start the season or they could be searching for a job with another team  
 
Erik Kratz
DOB 6/15/80, Telford, PA.  6’4″ 255.  Bats/Throws: R/R

2010 AAA Allstar Game

Erik was drafted out of Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia in the 29th round of the 2002 major league draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.  He played in the Blue Jays minor league system for 7 years before becoming a free agent after the 2008 season.  On 1/21/09 he was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates.   He played for the Indianapolis Indians in 2009 and hit .273 with 11 HR.  As a member of the 2009 International League allstar team he hit a double, a 2-run homer and added a walk and was named game MVP  in the International League’s 6-5 win over the PCL.   Ironpigs pitcher Drew Carpenter was the winning pitcher in that game.   In 2010 he again played most of the year for Indianapolis and hit .274 with 9 HR.   He was the starting catcher for the International League allstar team again in 2010 and during the July 14th game at Coca-Cola Park he was notified that he was being promoted to the Pirates, replacing former Ironpigs catcher Jason Jaramillo on the big league roster.   Erik made his major league debut with the Pirates on July 17th at the age of 30 and went 2-5.  However, he was sent back to AAA after playing in just 9 games and hitting .118.   He did manage to show off his strong arm by throwing out 4 of 7 would be basestealers (57%) in the majors.   On November 6th he became a free agent and on November 12, 2010 he was signed to a minor league contract by the Phillies with an invitation to major league spring training.    
 
Dane Sardinha
DOB 4/8/79, Honolulu, Hawaii.  6’0″ 215.  Bats/Throws: R/R
 
Dane was drafted in the 2nd round out of Pepperdine University by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2000 baseball draft.  He spent 6 years in the Reds’ minor league system while playing in just 1 major league game with Cincinnati in 2003 and 1 game in 2005.  He became a free agent on 10/2/06 and was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers on 12/15/06.  He spent 2007 in AAA with the Toledo Mud Hens and split time between Toledo and Detroit in 2008 and 2009.  He was granted free agency following the 2009 season and was signed by the Phillies on 1/6/10.  With the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs in 2010 he hit .207 with 5 HR while splitting time with Paul Hoover.  He also played in 13 games for the Phillies hitting .205 while adding the first 3 homeruns of his big league career.  
 
James Benjamin (Tuffy) Gosewisch
DOB 8/17/83, Freeport, IL.   5’11” 180.  Bats/Throws:  R/R

September, '09 with Ironpigs

 
Tuffy was drafted by the Phillies in the 11th round of the 2005 draft after he finished a solid 4 year career at Arizona State University where he hit .320 (203-634) with 10 HR and 166 RBIs.   He was only the second catcher in Arizona State history to start for 3 years.  After his senior year he was named one of the 10 semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year Award.  He has slowly progressed through the Phillies farm system spending the 2008 season with Clearwater and most of 2009 with Reading before being promoted to the Ironpigs for the final month of the season.  In his 16 AAA games he had 11 hits in 55 at bats (.200).   He played the entire 2010 season with the Reading Phillies hitting .241 with 9 HR.

Out with the old; in with the new.  Things will look a lot different in 2011 at Coca-Cola Park without Andy Tracy hitting in the number 4 spot in the order.

Rule 1 for fans of any minor league baseball team is ‘never get too attached to the players on your team because they’ll likely be playing elsewhere the following year’.   In the three year history of the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs only 3 players have made significant contributions in all 3 seasons,  Brian Mazone, Andy Tracy, and Rich Thompson.   As of this writing, only Rich Thompson is signed on for 2011.  Andy Tracy signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Brian Mazone is still a free agent so it’s still possible he could be here again in 2011.  Drew Carpenter is likely to return to the Ironpigs for 2011 and he did pitch very briefly for the Ironpigs in 2008 so he could also join the small fraternity of 4 year members of the Ironpigs.  Jason Anderson is another in that category although Jason currently remains a free agent.
 
It isn’t easy trying to predict who will be playing at Coca-Cola Park in 2011 and I probably missed a few names, but here is a list of ballplayers who could be wearing an Ironpigs uniform in the upcoming season.  
 
Catchers:  Erik Kratz,  Dane Sardinha,  Tuffy Gosewisch
Infielders:  Matt Rizzotti, Tagg Bozied, Josh Barfield, Pete Orr, Jeff Larish, Brian Bocock, Cody Overbeck, Harold Garcia, Freddy Galvis 
Outfielders:  Matt Miller, Rich Thompson, John Mayberry, Brandon Moss, Domonic Brown, Chris Frey
Pitchers:  Drew Carpenter, Nate Bump, Vance Worley, Drew Naylor, David Herndon, Eddie Bonine, Ryan Feierabend, Juan Perez, Dan Meyer, Brian Bass, Sergio Escalona, Michael Cisco, Michael Stutes, Mike Zagurski, Michael Schwimer, Scott Mathieson, Justin Friend, Derrick Loop. 

Also, utility man Michael Martinez was selected by the Phillies in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft.   If he doesn’t make the Phillies 25 man roster he must be offered back to the Washington Nationals.  If Washington doesn’t take him back, he could find himself in an Ironpigs uniform.
 
I also wouldn’t mind seeing free agent Brian Gordon and Brian Mazone added to the above list of pitchers and Kyle Kendrick also remains a possibility since the number 5 spot in the Phillies rotation is currently up for grabs.  If/when Joe Blanton gets traded, the top two contenders for the final starting spot in Philadelphia will likely be Kendrick and Vance Worley. 
 
In the upcoming weeks I’ll try to do a profile on each of the players listed above so everyone can get to know a little about the team Ryne Sandberg inherits in his first year with the Ironpigs.  Spring training will be here before you know it.
Stay warm!

If you haven’t noticed.. recently we’ve brought a new blogger on board here at the Horn & Bell.

Decal has been a loyal reader and dedicated Ironpig’s fan since the start and has a great outlook on the game and all of the fun we have at The Coke.

Welcome him and enjoy the history and insight he will add to this blog!

Dan

OinK!

It was a cold day in March, 2008 when Andy Tracy put on a Lehigh Valley Ironpigs uniform and played his first game  in front of 10,188 fans who were there to see their new team face the Philadelphia Phillies in a preseason exhibition game.  But it was Valentino Pascucci who started at first base with Tracy taking his spot as the designated hitter.  Once the season began it didn’t take long for Andy Tracy to become the fan favorite and for 3 seasons he has been the face of the franchise.   There were probably more #28 jerseys sold than all others combined.   With 356 hits as a member of the Ironpigs, a batting average of .272, 80 doubles, 207 walks, 69 homeruns and 261 RBI’s, he clearly dominated every major offensive category in the short history of Ironpigs baseball.  It’s sad to see it come to an end but such is the business of baseball.

The writing on the wall became abundantly clear in early August when Ryan Howard went on the disabled list and Andy Tracy was overlooked as a possible replacement on the Phillies roster.  Then, Matt Rizzotti was promoted to the Ironpigs from Reading and Andy was relegated to part-time duty.  The final blow came when he received no September promotion to the Phillies when rosters expanded from 25 to 40.  Still, there was hope that time would heal those wounds and he would return to the Ironpigs for the 2011 season.  

That hope ended on Wednesday when Andy Tracy signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.   The contract comes with an invitation to spring training where he will compete with former Scranton/Wilkes-Barre nemesis Juan Miranda and young prospect Brandon Allen for a chance at the Arizona first base job which became vacant when the D’backs declined the $7.5 million option on the contract of Adam LaRoche.   Arizona had also recently signed Wily Mo Pena as a potential outfielder but with the signing of Xavier Nady today it is possible Pena could also compete for playing time at first base.   The Diamondbacks have also been rumored to be one of the teams in the running for former allstar firstbaseman Derrek Lee.  

As things stand now, the frontrunner for the job appears to be Juan Miranda.  New Arizona GM Kevin Towers was a special assistant to Brian Cashman of the Yankees last year and knows the Yankees farm system well.   The left handed Miranda is 27 years old and defected from Cuba to the Dominican Republic in 2004.  He signed a 4 year contract with the Yankees in December, 2006 and played for SWB the last 3 seasons but also had some limited time with the big club.  In parts of 3 seasons, he hit .253 with 4 homers in New York.  He has been very consistent in AAA and has always been a thorn in the side of the Ironpigs.  On opening day, 2009 he hit a 3-run homer off lefty reliever Jake Woods to break open a close game and kept the Ironpigs from going over .500 for the first time.   Arizona acquired Miranda in a trade on November 18th and barring another trade or free agent signing it looks like the first base job in Arizona is his to lose. 

Brandon Allen is a 24 year old slugger who also bats lefthanded.  Allen has seen limited time in the major leagues but his biggest problem has been strikeouts.  In 149 big league at bats he has struck out 60 times.  Allen was acquired in July, 2009 in a trade with the White Sox and finished the year at AAA Reno where he hit .324 with 12 homers in 145 at bats.   He also played for Reno in 2010 and hit .261 with 25 homers in just 371 at bats.  

My guess is that Brandon Allen begins 2011 again with Reno where he will share time with Andy Tracy at first base and DH.   The Pacific Coast League is a hitters paradise and given enough at bats I think Tracy will thrive out there.  He played a full season for Colorado Springs in 2004 and hit .315 with 33 homeruns.   It wouldn’t surprise me to see him come close to those numbers again.  As much as it hurts to see him go, I’m sure we all wish him well with his new team.   Looks like the new face of the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs will be their manager.  Best of luck Andy and feel free to come back to Coca-Cola Park anytime.

For those of you who are already counting down the days to the 2011 Ironpigs season may want to subtract 2 days from your countdown.   As I was casually browsing through the Ironpigs website I took a look at the “Printable” pdf 2011 schedule.  There it was, highlighted in red for all to see,  a home game, on Tuesday, April  5th at 6:35 PM, a full 2 days and 30 minutes before I thought there would be AAA baseball in Allentown.  Well, 50% AAA baseball and 50% AA baseball as the opponent once again will be the Reading Phillies.  That’s good enough for me.   If my math is correct, that makes 111 days until the first pitch at Coca-Cola Park.  Now that’s something to get excited about on a day when the temperature barely made it into the low 20’s.    Can the signing of Andy Tracy be far behind?   

 http://ironpigsbaseball.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Calendar/2011_SCHEDULE_FINAL.pdf

Just guessing but I’d say the only chance Michael Martinez has to stick with the Phillies is if he beats out Wilson Valdez.
I enjoy following a writer by the name of John Sickels who writes a minor league prospect book every year and his analysis of this pick by the Phillies was, “IF, from Nationals: 28 years old, hit .272/.312/.408 with 23 steals between Double-A and Triple-A. Good glove, some speed, but undersized at 5-9, 145, and has little upside given his age. I can’t say I understand this pick.”

Quintin Berry was taken in the AA phase by the Mets and is now listed on the roster of the Binghamton Mets of the Eastern League.