Category Archives: Lehigh Valley IronPigs

March 20, 2013 · 9:38 am

IronPig Spring Training Results 3-19-2013

From the IronPig’s Media Dept.

Bats Come Alive as Triple-A Phils Win Again

Three Triple-A Phillies recorded multi-hit games and the pitching staff was strong once again as the squad won its third straight, defeating the Pirates 6-1 Tuesday afternoon in Bradenton.

Leading the seven-hit attack was INF Cody Overbeck, who went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and OF Josh Fields who also chipped in with two hits and two RBIs. INF Troy Hanzawa went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored, while C Tommy Joseph launched a home run.

On the mound, the 2012 International League Most Valuable Pitcher Tyler Cloyd tossed three innings, allowing one run on four hits. Brian Bass worked an efficient three innings, walking one and surrendering one hit, while Hector Neris worked the seventh and eighth. Justin Friend closed the game for the Triple-A Phillies, notching a strikeout in the ninth. The run surrendered by Cloyd was the only one the staff has surrendered over the past three games, as the squad has outscored its opponents 12-1 in that span.

Overbeck, who also scored a run, is a Lehigh Valley veteran after spending all of 2012 with the team and part of 2011. In the 2012 campaign, the corner infielder led the team with 14 home runs and set a franchise single-season record with 133 games played. Originally selected by the Phillies in the ninth round of the 2008 draft, the University of Mississippi product has cracked 20 home runs and driven in 97 in his Triple-A career.

The Phillies return to Clearwater today where they play host to the Yankees at the Carpenter Complex, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.

*Triple-A Spring stats to date attached

UNOFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Teams R H E LOB

TEAM 6 7 0 6

PIT 1 8 2 8

Lineup AB R H RBI

1. CASTRO, LEANDRO-CF 4 1 0 0

2. HERNANDEZ, CESAR-2B 3 1 1 0

HANZAWA, TROY-SS 3 1 2 0

3. ASCHE, CODY-3B 4 1 0 0

4. OVERBECK, CODY-1B 4 1 2 0

5. FIELDS, JOSH-1B 4 0 2 2

6. JOSEPH, TOMMY-DH 4 1 1 2

7. TOLBERT, MATT-3B 4 0 0 0

MARTINEZ, MICHAEL-SS 1 0 0 0

8. SUSDORF, STEVEN-LF 3 0 0 1

9. SUOMI, JOHN-C 3 0 0 1

STUMPO, ROBERT-C 1 0 0 0

2B- OVERBECK 2 (2). 3B- HANZAWA (1). HR- JOSEPH (1). RBI- FIELDS 2 (2), JOSEPH 2 (2), SUSDORF (1), SUOMI (3).

SB- SUSDORF 2 (2), HERNANDEZ (2), CASTRO (1).

Pitchers IP H R ER BB KO

1. CLOYD, TYLER 3.0 4 1 1 0 0

2. BASS, BRIAN 3.0 1 0 0 1 0

3. NERIS, HECTOR 2.0 2 0 0 2 1

4. FRIEND, JUSTIN 1.0 1 0 0 0 1

3 Comments

Filed under Lehigh Valley IronPigs

March 19, 2013 · 5:59 pm

Coca Cola Park Ranks Next to Last in…

…Park factor rating.

Created by Baseball America (love those folks) to put comparison to Hits, Runs and Home Runs per game at Minor League ball parks. It gives an interesting analysis on Minor League Parks in each league.

An excerpt:

To use the park factors, take a batter’s runs created per game or a pitcher’s runs allowed per game (or whatever your metrics of choice might be) and divide by his park factor. This will give you a crude a park-adjusted rate of production for any minor league player.

Read the full article here. (I highly recommend it for any baseball fan)

International League Rates Per Park, from highest Park Factor Rating to lowest:

Columbus
Buffalo
Durham
Rochester
Louisville
Gwinnett
Indianapolis
Syracuse
Charlotte
Norfolk
Toledo
Pawtucket
Lehigh Valley
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Good ole SWB bringing up the rear… but they do have a new park this season… We will see and hopefully Baseball America revisits this after a couple more seasons.

I suppose the point they are aiming at is to 1. Disprove/Confirm myths about a “Hitter’s Park” or “Pitcher’s League” and 2. To look at how hits, runs and home runs add excitement to the game for fans.

Lucky for us in the Lehigh Valley that we don’t depend on barnburner games for our excitement.

Good times!

Tip of the hat to Jim Laubach for sharing!

OinK! Screech! Roll On!

IronPig Spring Training Results 3-18-2013

From the IronPigs Media Dept.

Behind the Major League arm of the Cliff Lee and three relievers with MLB experience, the Triple-A Phillies won their second straight game in shutout fashion, defeating the Pirates 4-0 Monday afternoon in Clearwater.

Lee, who pitched with the Triple-A team to keep on normal schedule, tossed six innings, allowing just four hits and striking out nine without walking a batter. Justin De Fratus pitched the seventh, striking out one, Cesar Jimenez walked a batter in a scoreless eighth and Jake Diekman faced the minimum three batters in the ninth.

Offensively, INF Cody Asche and C Tommy Joseph collected two hits apiece, while INF Cesar Hernandez singled, scored and drove in two. OF Derrick Mitchell went 1-for-3, capping the Phillies six-hit attack while Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-2, but walked and scored as the team improved to 3-1-1.

The 22-year-old Asche had a breakout year in 2012, his second season in professional baseball. Starting the season at Advanced-A Clearwater, the corner infielder was named a Florida State League midseason All-Star, posting a line of .349-2-25 in 62 games. The Phillies number seven prospect according to Baseball America then earned a promotion to Double-A Reading, finishing at .300-10-47 in 68 games. In eight games in MLB Spring Training this year, the University of Nebraska product went 5-for-14 in eight games.

The Phillies and Pirates are back in action again today, this time traveling to Bradenton with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

UNOFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Teams R H E LOB

PIT 0 5 1 5

TEAM 4 6 0 5

Lineup AB R H RBI

1. CASTRO, LEANDRO-RF 4 0 0 1

2. HERNANDEZ, CESAR-2B 4 1 1 2

3. ASCHE, CODY-3B 4 0 2 0

4. JOSEPH, TOMMY-C 3 0 2 0

5. FIELDS, JOSH-1B 1 0 0 0

6. MITCHELL, DERRICK-CF 3 0 1 0

7. MARTINEZ, MICHAEL-SS 3 0 0 0

ROLLINS, JIMMY-SS 2 1 0 0

8. HEWITT, ANTHONY-LF 3 1 0 0

SUSDORF, STEVEN-LF 1 0 0 0

9. KRATZ, ERIK-DH 3 0 0 0

GILLIES, TYSON-PH 0 1 0 0

RBI- HERNANDEZ 2 (2), CASTRO (3). SB-GILLIES (1).

Pitchers IP H R ER BB KO

1. LEE, CLIFF 6.0 4 0 0 0 9

2. DE FRATUS, JUSTIN 1.0 1 0 0 1 1

3. JIMENEZ, CESAR 1.0 0 0 0 1 0

4. DIEKMAN, JACOB 1.0 0 0 0 0 1

IronPigs – New Jerseys – Nice!

OFFICIAL IRONPIGS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2013

IRONPIGS INTRODUCE NEW SUNDAY “RETRO” JERSEYS

(Allentown, PA) – The IronPigs will don a powder blue and burgundy retro mesh jersey during Sunday home games this season, paying homage to the Phillies’ tradition-rich teams of the 1970s and 1980s and marking the first significant uniform change since the IronPigs debuted in 2008. The new look replaces the previous Sunday top – a white, sleeveless jersey that wasaccompanied by a separate brick red athletic T-shirt underneath. The official Sunday Game Cap is unchanged and remains the only two-toned cap in the fleet, with a brick red crown and a furnace blue bill.

“This is an iconic color scheme and one that IronPigs fans and Phillies fans collectively adore,” remarked IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes. “We think our fans are going to squeal over this fresh new look!”

This pullover jersey features the primary IronPigs logo emblazed on the left chest to modernize the classic powder blue and burgundy look. Its mesh composition promotes breathability and provides additional comfort for players and fans alike.

Some of the great figures in Phillies history have worn the “powder blues”, including the likes of Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Tug McGraw and Larry Bowa. This color motif highlighted an era in which the Phillies went to the postseason in six of eight seasons beginning in 1976 and won their first World Championship in 1980.

The IronPigs are slated to wear the new pullover on ten occasions in 2013, including during the club’s first homestand of the year on Sunday, April 7, against the Syracuse Chiefs at Coca-Cola Park.

Pre-orders of the brand-new Sunday jersey replica by Majestic Athletic are now being accepted at the Majestic Clubhouse Store or online at www.ironpigsbaseball.com with an initial shipment scheduled by the end of next week (March 29).

Single-game tickets for the 2013 season presented by Capital BlueCross as well as the Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game are available now by visiting ironpigsbaseball.com, by calling (610) 841-PIGS (7447) or at the Coca-Cola Park ticket window during normal business hours.

— pig out —

Jon Schaeffer
Director, New Media
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Triple-A Affiliate, Philadelphia Phillies

3 Comments

Filed under Coca Cola Park, DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

March 18, 2013 · 2:27 pm

IronPig Spring Training Results 3-17-13

From the IronPig’s Media Dept.

Triple-A Phillies Blank Toronto on Three-Hit Shutout

Four pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout as the Phillies’ Triple-A Spring Training team defeated the Blue Jays 2-0 Sunday afternoon in Dunedin.

Left-hander Adam Morgan tossed five innings and struck out six against just two hits, before a combination of Edgar Garcia (two innings), Joe Savery (one inning) and Tyler Knigge (one inning) threw four shutout frames out of the bullpen, surrendering just one hit. With the win, the team improved to 2-1-1 on the spring.

Offensively the team was led by INF Cesar Hernandez who was 2-for-3 with a triple, run scored and stolen base. INF Edgar Duran drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, while OF Leandro Castro launched a solo home run as the team mustered just three hits in the win.

Hernandez split 2012 between Double-A Reading and the IronPigs, earning a promotion to Lehigh Valley on August 1 after batting .304-2-51 in 103 games with Reading. In 30 games at the Triple-A level, the Valencia, Venezuela native posted a line of .248-0-6, but finished hitting safely in eight of his final nine games.

The Phillies’ Triple-A team is back in action Monday, hosting the Pirates at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

UNOFFICIAL BOX SCORE

Teams R H E LOB

TEAM 2 3 0 2

TOR 0 3 1 3

Lineup AB R H RBI

1. GILLIES, TYSON-CF 4 0 0 0

2. MARTINEZ, MICHAEL-LF 2 0 0 0

CASTRO, LEANDRO 2 1 1 1

3. JOSEPH, TOMMY-C 2 0 0 0

STUMPO, BOB-C 1 0 0 0

4. SUSDORF, STEPHEN-RF 3 0 0 0

5. OVERBECK, CODY-1B 3 0 0 0

6. SUOMI, JOHN-DH 3 0 0 0

7. TOLBERT, MATT-3B 3 0 0 0

8. HERNANDEZ, CESAR-2B 3 1 2 0

HANZAWA, TROY 2 0 0 0

9. DURAN, EDGAR-SS 1 0 0 0

2B- HERNANDEZ (1). HR- CASTRO (1). RBI- DURAN (1), CASTRO (2). SB-HERNANDEZ (1), HANZAWA (1).

Pitchers IP H R ER BB KO

1. MORGAN, ADAM 5.0 2 0 0 2 6

2. GARCIA, EDGAR 2.0 1 0 0 2 1

3. SAVERY, JOE 1.0 0 0 0 0 0

4. KNIGGE, TYLER 1.0 0 0 0 0 1

1 Comment

Filed under Lehigh Valley IronPigs

March 17, 2013 · 12:24 am

Greetings From Clearwater

Frequent NoiseNation photographer extraordinaire Cheryl Pursell recently returned from a trip to Clearwater, Florida. She filed a report (and some photos) from Spring Training:

Cheryl reports that Galvis and Frandsen should make the Phillies as reserve infielders at the expense of Yunesky Betancourt, who has an opt-out on March 24: “I don’t see Betancourt making the Phillies, unless of course they do what they did last year, give the job to the guy who will walk (Pierre instead of Podsednik).”

Cheryl confirms what we’ve all seen of Domonic Brown: He’s been playing very well. She has him in Right Field to start the season, with Nix or Mayberry in Left, and Ruf on the IronPigs. She feels the IronPigs should have good pitching, both starters and relievers despite the fact that the Phillies’ starters didn’t always impress during her stay.

Cheryl also met up with one of our old friends, Rich Thompson. Here’s what she said: “I had Rich Thompson sign my jersey. I told him everyone from [NoiseNation] was asking about him & wanted to know how he was doing—he said to say “great” & that he doesn’t tweet much because he doesn’t have access to a computer, nor does he own a smart phone. I told him, I too have a “dumb” phone. He laughed & sends his regards.”

Thanks again to Cheryl for the report and the photos!

Let’s Go Pigs!

@Kram209

1 Comment

Filed under Kram's Korner - From the Club Level, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Tagged as IronPigs, Phillies, rich thompson, spring training

March 15, 2013 · 10:17 am

Let’s Go Blanco! The Return!

Yesterday our good friend Kram209 tweeted (which I re-tweeted) the re-signing of recently released righty RBI guy Andres Blanco aka Andy White. (and no he had never heard of the hidden ball trick until last year when Kratzie gingerly placed it in his mitt – true story).

So it seems the “Let’s Go Blanco” chant, which come to think of it… generally emanates from somewhere behind home plate will return in 2013 – nightly at Coca-Cola Park!

IronPigs that is. Set a spell. Yell your head off. Y’all chant along now, y’hear?

Let’s Go Blanco!! The Return!

Minor Moves: Blanco, Hawkins, Tanner, Smith

By Mark Polishuk [March 14, 2013 at 9:01pm CST]
mlbtraderumors.com

Here are today’s minor transactions, with the latest moves at the top of the page…

The Phillies re-signed infielder Andres Blanco to a minor league contract, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports. The club released Blanco a few weeks ago. Blanco last played in the majors in 2011 and he has a career .634 OPS in 654 PA over six seasons with the Rangers, Cubs and Royals. He spent last year with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate.

Let’s Go Blanco Dishing

3 Comments

Filed under DiPro's Dish, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

March 11, 2013 · 3:16 pm

Too Much Swag: Season Tickets 2013

I stopped by the park on my way to the office this morning to pick up my season ticket packages. There was no line, and I walked right up. This probably reinforces my supposition that I’m the only one champing at the bit to pick up my tickets.

No matter, though. The ticket staff was happy to see me and found my tickets quickly. Then it came time to load me up with swag. As in the past, the IronPigs have some gifts for the season ticket holders on pick-up. I’m not sure which level of season tickets you need to receive the gifts, but I don’t think it’s a secret either. In fact, if you don’t qualify, this could be the impetus to increase your ticket level for next year. Or, there could be different swag for different levels. At any rate, there was so much swag this year they couldn’t even fit it through the little window at the ticket counter. They had to walk it out to me.

The swag was contained in a nice bag labeled “Ticket Plan Holder:”

Hats:

They’re not fancy, but they are kind of nice. They are cotton/canvas and have a Velcro closure. They are made in China and have four stitch rows on the brim. They are blue and white, with the Sunday logo, and have “Season Ticket Holder” stitched on the side.

Glasses:

No, not that kind of glasses. They were labeled “pint glasses” on the dispense slip, but they’re more of a small highball glass–a bit smaller than a standard pint beer glass, with a heavy base. They’re etched with “Iron Pigs Lehigh Valley Est 2008.” Perfect for a rum and Coke:

IronClipper Rewards Booklet:

These are small coupon books that are usually given out to the plan holders and group leaders. They contain coupons from the major game and stadium sponsors–of various levels of usefulness. New this year are coupons for concessions. Nice. But also noted are some limits on some of the coupons for which month they can be used. Read your coupons carefully and take advantage of them if you can.

Details with the tickets:

Once again, the ticket holders are invited to an “Appreciation Night” on Tuesday, July 16 for the showing of the All Star Game. We’ve talked about this before, and it’s a nice time–even better last year when we were able to throw the ball on the field. Also noted with the tickets is that in-seat service via the bypass lane app will be available again this year in the Club Level.

Unless I’m missing it, there is no information about batting practice viewing for this year. We never get those dates right away anyway, so could be they are yet to come. Or, could be they’ve discontinued it. We shall see, and I’ll post here when I find out as some folks didn’t receive them last year.

__________

Finally, here’s another view: If frequent comment contributor Lefty33 is still around, I’d expect he’d probably agree with this–and I can’t say I totally disagree either:

While I feel appreciated when I receive this swag, there is another thing they could do: a discount. How about $1.00: $1.00 per seat times 72 games times 4 seats equals $288.00. You can buy a lot of hats and drinking glasses for $288. Or, maybe a discount on advertising for those of us who own businesses? Nope, they don’t do that either.

What do other organizations do? Over the weekend I was perusing the web site for Autozone Park, home of the AAA Memphis Redbirds, affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. I was drawn to it as it was referred to as the “Taj Mahal” of minor league baseball. It’s not. But, I noticed that Club Level tickets are $20.00 in advance, or $23.00 on game day. This is much more than the $15 the IronPigs charge. BUT, purchase a full season plan in the Autozone Club Level and pay only $950/seat. That’s $13.19/game–less than the $14 I pay having locked in my seat price with a multi-year extension.

So I ask you, should the IronPigs do that? Raise single-game and same-day ticket prices while providing a healthy discount for season ticket holders? I’m not sure, myself. I think we should watch and find out how much difficulty they have selling those $20 Hot Corner tickets this year for our answer. Probably, the poor press they’d receive for raising ticket prices to Memphis-level would out-weigh any benefit from the season ticket holders. And, to think of it this way, since we support this team so well here in the Lehigh Valley, it’s like a subscription: We purchase so many tickets that it allows the everyday price to remain low. Just my thoughts. What are yours?

@Kram209

6 Comments

Filed under Coca Cola Park, Kram's Korner - From the Club Level, Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Tagged as IronPigs, season tickets, ticket holder gifts

March 8, 2013 · 3:42 pm

Who I’d Like to See at a Ballgame – Wish List

Saw this video on Twitter:

http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=25645591&topic_id=&sid=t1174&tcid=vpp_copy_25645591&v=3

The State College Spikes have apparently inked a deal for a member of the Duck Dynasty crew to make an appearance.

The face is a mystery but the voice gives a hint that Duck Dynasty fans would recognize as Mountain Man.

For those in the dark, this is Mountain Man:

I once met Max Patkin at the Reading Phillies.. a few year later Mr. Belding of Saved by the Bell fame

Reading Phillies a few years back.

Also met The King Jerry Lawler at Coca Cola Park.

I guess what I’m saying is I like meeting these people.

*********************************************************

My top ten list of people I’d like to meet at the ballpark!

Number 10 – Anyone from Duck Dynasty.

It’s still in my head from seeing that video but this show is great. Also could probably upgrade my duck call at the same time.

Number 9 – Chunk from the Goonies

Who didn’t love the Goonies? He’s been seen at other ballparks in the area.. why not ours?

Number 8 – Jennifer Lawrence

Who DOESN’T want to meet Jennifer Lawrence? (Note – Jennifer, I can be reached personally at editor@LVNoiseNation.com if you would like to come to a game with the Noise Nation! Junk food and Budweiser included!)

Number 7 – Old Phillies

How about an Old Timers night? We had Ryne Sandberg for 2 full seasons but how about a Lenny Dykstra or Darren Daulton night? Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt secretly visited the Park but only for those who dropped a chunk of change into the bucket. The thought process was if you hadn’t heard they were coming, you can’t afford to attend. Let’s bring out some old Phillies!

Number 6 – Henry Winkler

aaaaayyyyyyyyy!

I know, I know.. but I still want to meet the Fonz! I still have my hot chocolate mug I need to get autographed.

Number 5 – Micro Championship Wrestling

I know I made a few pleas to invite them to the park in the past. This crew looks like a lot of fun! Let’s bring them in!

Number 4 – Emilio Estevez

So I can yell, “Emmmeeeiiiliiooo!”

Number 3 – Hulk Hogan

Because I know you took your vitamins and said your prayers while watching Wrestling Superstars!

Number 2 – Alabama to sing “Cheap Seats”

Number 1 – All of you.

The friends we’ve made these past few years are priceless. A few have come and a few have gone. I can’t say enough how these friendships have impacted my life. Come out to a game!

**** Let’s get together and come up with 100 reasons why Jennifer Lawrence should join us for a ball game! Send all submissions to editor@LVNoiseNation.com!

OinK! Screech! Roll On!

1 Comment

Filed under Lehigh Valley IronPigs

March 7, 2013 · 3:11 pm